With seemingly endless time on their hands during the summer, kids have time to take on any number of new and exciting endeavors. They can take up a new sport. Or a hobby. Paint, play at the pool, or just relax with a book. But sometimes all that extra time gives them just a little…
Tag: raising kids
Happy Father’s Day
Here it is dads, the day we’ve been waiting for. Father’s Day. On your day to be honored, I hope you’ll remember that’s it’s not this particular date on the calendar that makes today a special one. Instead, it’s the family in our lives that make Father’s Day what it is. While you’re being honored…
Son ponders what The Future will look like
It started with a question. But then that’s how most things start around our house. “Dad, what do you think the world will be like when I’m an adult?” I was in the midst of “cooking” breakfast (is it really cooking when you just add milk? I’ll have to get my research team on that…
The promise of a gift
A couple of weeks ago, my son asked me for the first time this year, “Dad, what do you want for Father’s Day?” Simple enough. And like many of you (for Father’s or Mother’s Day), I hadn’t given it any thought, and I really didn’t have any idea. In fact, there was nothing that I really…
Tonight on “It’s Just Nature” . . .
(You should read the following with an Australian accent. Oh, and pretend you’re wearing one of those really cool safari hats. I promise not to tell anyone) G’day everyone and welcome to this week’s edition of It’s Just Nature. As we do every week, we’ll be journeying to some of THE most remote locations on…
A lazy Sunday morning
“Dad, in which of the Fast and Furious movies was there a tribute to Paul Walker?” I looked up from my newspaper. It’s only the end of May, but I was reading about new shows coming on in the fall, shows that I would never remember once that season actually arrived. My son had just…
Am I doing this motherhood thing right?
There’s no better way to spend a day off than to find out the myriad of ways that you’re inadequate. And I find the best way to do this is by taking an online quiz. It makes for great balance. Anytime I’m feeling good or maybe a little too big for my britches, I’ll bring…
I don’t look good in a dress
Just a week ago was Mother’s Day, and as you can imagine, it’s not necessarily the best day around our house. Each year brings bittersweet emotions: memories both good and bad, phone calls to wish the grandmothers a happy day, and a church service that welcomes and praises all the mothers present. But I’m often left…
A “Best” is THE best
As I sit at my computer this morning, there are ominous piles of paper stacked around me. Piles stacked dangerously high. If my desk was a ski resort, the slopes would be closed to protect the safety of visitors. In other parts of the house, clean dishes diminish, while dirty clothes accumulate. I see the…
Kids say (and eat) the darnedest things
When it comes to sick kids, there are basically three types of parents. First, there are the parents you see in a typical comedy at the theater: parents teetering on falling into chaos as panic sets in. Then there’s the more normal parents. The ones who calmly assess the situation, show a balance of concern,…
Holding together the jello 