The people I grew up with and worked alongside are now boasting and sharing pictures of their cute grandchildren. You could say I chose a different path -- becoming a father at 49! Follow my experiences, thoughts, and random ramblings. Thanks!
Forty years. Sounds like a long time. That’s probably because it is a long time, even if you’re one of those Galapagos turtles. There’s a Pink Floyd lyric that’s always been lodged in my brain (taking up room that should be devoted to more important matters): “Then one day you find, 10 years have got … More 40th Class Reunion pits memories vs. ambivalence; what’ll it be like for her?
He casts a magic spell, as our daughter leans back in the plush seat. That’s the euphemism favored by our children’s dentist, who refuses to use the term “pulling teeth” in front of his young clientele. “I just lean back and breathe through that mask. Next thing I know, he’s done his magic!” Unfortunately, “magic” has become … More Days of ‘magic’ might be passing for her — but never for parents
Every once in a while, a parent is fortunate enough to look back on his or her past and suddenly see how it has become part of today and is destined to play an important role in a child’s future. This happened recently, unexpectedly, when these three timelines merged, all in one steamy afternoon. It … More Recognizing how we’re alike, while others unfairly fear differences
Younger Child is getting older. We marked her 9th birthday with a truly enjoyable trip to the American Girl Doll store in New York City, and took in another few attractions. I didn’t expect a birthday to bring overnight changes in Younger Daughter, of course. The changes are there, but they are slow to evolve. The … More The Banana Incident: Dad stands firm, instead of slipping up
One of the many gifts a child can share with you is the joy of imagination, the ability to sidestep the real world and build a unique environment — one that that can pull in adults and help them recover their own memories of childhood imagination. Each day is another amazing display of how deep … More The wonder of imagination: Wayward fish gets a condo; preparing for ‘awful’ nuptials
It’s interesting as to how life can take amazing twists and turns and yet somehow manage to land exactly where you hoped it was headed in the first place — even if it’s walking down the aisle at a wedding. No, our daughter isn’t getting married at the tender age of soon-to-be 9 years old. But she … More 4 years, a broken arm, a broken vow — but she finally walked the aisle as a flower girl
We had a health scare last week with the newest member of the household. It made me confront for the first time how we would break the news to our child and cope with the death of a loving family pet. When it comes to animals, though, I’m a very effective grief counselor. I go to pieces. I try to … More Illness in the family: But I didn’t realize they had one of those
You could say I’ve had a lifelong interest in obituaries. It began with writing them, in the early days of my career in journalism, and continues even today. But it makes me wonder about the future of these re-caps, recounting and chronicling of someone’s life. I fear the importance of and attention to printed … More Final say on Obituaries: Now it’s ‘Surrounded by family members’
They used to call them book reports, back in my day. Plain and simple, with your neatest handwriting. There was a word count, and you learned the tricks for padding your prose. Book reports were generally a chore, and squelched the joy of reading. Some short-sighted classmates would “borrow” information from the inside of the book … More Book ‘shares’ Lost in Space? NASA Barbie goes for a ride — Sally Ride, that is
Writer’s block? More like the border wall President Trump is ordering Mexico to build. Sure, I’ve stashed a couple of half-hearted starts and musings in the draft folder. But I always remember the writer’s axiom: Good writers write about what they know. When you’re not confident in what you know, well … Still not an excuse for … More Welcome back: Why do those Hollywood dance classics stir up the birds and the bees?
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