I don’t think about it all that often and certainly not every day, but from time to time it hits me – how many different roles I play as a single parent. I know it’s not as bad some days as it is others. And I also know that parents who are married also have to…
Tag: parenting
The LAST noise a parent wants to hear at night
There I was, lying in bed, just about to fall asleep around 1:30 after tossing, turning, reading, and watching TV throughout the evening. I was finally just relaxed enough to doze off. The house was quiet and still. Then a terrible sound broke through the darkness: BLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!! It’s the sound every parent hates to hear…
Even MORE questions from my son
As you probably know by now, my son usually has a lot of questions. Usually more questions than I have answers for. I guess what I should really fear is the day he’s the one giving me answers. In the meantime, here’s a sample of what’s been on his mind lately. “Can we have pizza…
Mixing ducks and kickball
When you let your kids decide on a day’s activities, sometimes you end up with some odd combinations. Recently, my son and daughter wanted to do two things: feed some ducks and play kick ball. Ok, not the two most common activities to do during one trip, but we piled into the car and headed…
Why my son is Santa’s least favorite customer
In the world, someone is always the smartest. Someone is the fastest. Someone is even the best at playing the game Operation, or working a jigsaw puzzle. In fact. there’s someone in the world who is the Best Organizer of Food in the Refrigerator. (But that’s not me. I do have a system. Well, sort…
On being a dad – the value of consistency
If you’re a regular reader, you know that sometimes I write about some of the characteristics I think are important to being a father. And there are so many important traits to being a dad. Too many to cover in one blog post. Heck, there’s whole books on the subject. But one characteristic that I…
My son sets terms for saving my life
My son and I were watching “Hey Arnold,” the other day. It’s a cartoon from the 90s that he likes. I usually like it, too, but I’ve grown a little tired of it. The other day an episode came on in which Arnold saved the life of one of his friends. As you might imagine,…
The hardest thing I ever had to tell my daughter
I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful, sunny October day. It was one of those rare days in Arkansas where you can actually be comfortable outside. But it wasn’t comfortable at my house. My wife had returned from the hospital only a few days before, and we now had the…
Spell N_E_R_V_O_U_S
This morning my son was about to compete in the school-wide spelling bee, and let me tell you, the nerves were in the air. There was shaky hands, sweaty palms, and it was hard to eat. And that was just me. My son, on the other hand, seemed immune to the tension in the air. He…
Let’s get busy living in 2014
For about the last 20 years, I’ve never had what I would call a New Year’s resolution. Instead, much like Ben Franklin, I look at areas in my life I want to improve on, and goals I want to work toward. I guess that’s kind of my small town way of saying “New Year’s resolutions.”…
Holding together the jello 