Look how cavalier we’ve become about childhood. How liberally we allow others to guinea-pig our children … and how uncourageous we are in their protection. Too many reckless people toy with their innocence, tamper with their sexuality, and monkey around with their learning. Too many are too determined to over-water their brains … and starve … Continue reading Make It Stop!
Category: Parents
Under Pressure
The day started as it always does … bumping around in the dark. The coffee was still too hot to sip … and there was this … this mother’s growl in the dark … “… this morning … find multiple parents complaining about excessive Kindergarten homework 6-7 handouts, writing assignments … and 1.5 hours of … Continue reading Under Pressure
Father and Son
“There shall always be love." That buzzed my ear one sticky, summer night … after my father ... the college professor ... got a little rickety with some other dads ... down on the beach. A little too wobbly … after over-sipping. He wasn’t much of a beach guy … or a water guy. He'd … Continue reading Father and Son
Maybe, Maybe Not Age
A recent Boston Magazine article belched … “In Praise of Mediocre Kids” … and asked … “Why can’t we just accept that?”… Which calls to mind two odd sorts … English humorist Maximillian Beerbohm … and English misuser Yogi Berra. Sir Beerbohm said … “Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best.” … Continue reading Maybe, Maybe Not Age
The True Sword
I possessed the True Sword. In fact … I‘d made it myself. From exotic balsa wood. Imagined in my mind … designed by my brain … and brought to life by my own curiosity. That’s what a mind is for. I was nine. I had dreamed myself Caesar’s body-guard. The boy-wonder of the Praetorian Guard. The … Continue reading The True Sword
Kiss The Fish
You gotta kiss the fish. That’s how summer starts. With a kiss. That was the ritual of the boy and his grandfather. And then it was on to ponds and lakes and streams. A few hours here ... and a few more there. Almost always spur of the moment, grab-the-poles, hit-the-road decisions. Wedged in between … Continue reading Kiss The Fish
Silver Brushes and White Hair
I’ve out-lived my father. Isn’t that the saddest achievement? My sons are wonderful men. But they missed out on him … and he missed out on them. Bad timing. He was gone before they had a memory-card. I know something for certain. A strange something. Had he lived for a few more decades … … Continue reading Silver Brushes and White Hair
Mind Time
“Time, time, time ... see what's become of me …” I’m an old father now. Suddenly, it seems. My sons have sons. I own lots of memories. I polish the sweet ones and never dust the ones that hurt. I mind time now. I didn’t use to. In fact, like lots of you, I was reckless … Continue reading Mind Time
Missives Worth Reading 