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!
My Muse has been on an unscheduled sabbatical. For the second time, I pushed myself through a post because I felt I should write one, or I was supposed to write one — instead of writing a post that was inspired by a priceless moment between Older Dad and Younger Child. Fortunately, I put that … More Lesson from a Child: Memories truly are the key to immortality
“I was singing to the deer.” She had stayed in place on the trail and now stood about 50 feet behind us, where we had first spotted the pair of white-tail deer in the nearby woods. She stood still while her mother and I hiked a bit further up the trail. We turned to watch … More Through her family’s tears, a 6-year-old touches death
Where does the time go? … She went back to school this week, to first grade. She’s crossed over into the time zone that marks the beginning of my own significant memories. Certain deep impressions of first grade left lasting creases in my brain. Will she look back in 50 years and know this feeling? At face … More Recipe for making sweet memories: You provide the ingredients
Our daughter, at age 6, is a party planner extraordinaire. She doesn’t need a special occasion — she’ll decide what the party will be about, describe what she’s doing to prepare for it, and give her orders (er, directions) for what she expects from her parents. That’s why there’s a disco ball hanging from the ceiling in … More Holy Birthdays, Batman! Caped Crusader never grows old
Happy Birthday, Jerry. One of the true joys I’ve experienced is sharing the music of the Grateful Dead with my now-6-year-old. She loves to dress up when we go to shows and dance with her Daddy. We even have a favorite passage to sing together: Sometimes the light’s all shining on me Other times I … More Jerry: The Music Never Stops
One of the most gratifying experiences of being an older parent with a young child is allowing yourself to become part of that child’s fantasy world. In our household, it extends beyond Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny deep into the world of fairies. The fairies bring good to us; they can also be a convenient … More Fairies help us link fantasy and reality: A love story
What few dim memories I have of my own summer camp experiences are for the most part worth forgetting, especially considering how much has changed in childcare and political correctness since the mid 1960s. As I drop off my daughter each morning at her day camp, I always have an idea of what she’ll be doing that day (thanks to … More Tick, tock, tick, tock: Screaming your way through summer day camp
It was a case of the Girl Who Cried Barf — but, as usual, I start ahead of myself. Rewind: We were in the final stages of a vacation, the best ever. Our condo was 28 stories above the Boardwalk, with an incredible view of the ocean and the shoreline. We spent beach time every day. There was a 40-inch high-def TV … More Tales from the Road: “I’m going to get sick.” / “No, you’re not.” Who was right?
Summer camp was once something more like a luxury, when stay-at-home Moms ruled the roost and there was less need to keep the kids safely occupied. In today’s two-wage-earner families, though, summer camp is often a necessity. It’s the only way a lot of kids can maintain any sort of social contact with their peers … More Summer, summer camp, and a trail of kid’s clothing
Kindergarten graduation. Complete with mortar boards and diplomas. Audience packed with parents, grandparents and friends. What’s more, shout-outs for certain students when their name is called to be awarded the kindergarten completion certificate. (Squeezing my voice into its best Walter Brennan-like drawl:) “In my day, we didn’t have kindergarten gradge-ee-ations. When you said somebody gradge-ee-ated you … More Farewell to kindergarten; ‘We’ll always have recess’
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