My oldest daughter is part of a church youth group. They’ve been building a Habitat House at the church for weeks, and on Sunday they drove a big truck and a bunch of high school kids to John’s Island, SC (near Charleston) to assemble the structure. This is her and her friends getting ready to leave Charlotte. She’s the one on the left. On Monday they started work, and accomplished a lot. She even made a new friend. After work on Tuesday, the…
Parents on social media are conditioned to talk publicly about their children in a very specific way. We showcase their accomplishments for the “she’s amazing” comments. We upload pictures of the boo-boo on their knee to hear “get better, little guy.” We share their artwork for “prodigy” feedback. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s normal. Even if it is a little weirdly competitive. Like most parents, I’m proud of my kids too, and share our lives together often. And, sure, I…
In case you didn’t hear, a few weeks ago I fell unconscious 15′ from my roof without injury. I’ve never choked before. Until tonight. Woofing down a garlic knot, I was screaming at all the kids in my kitchen when it got stuck over my air pipe. I tried to cough to dislodge it. Couldn’t. Tried inhaling. Couldn’t. Panic sets in pretty fast when you can’t draw breath. My wife comes over and pats me on the back. I hear…
There was once a time, not long ago, when we’d yell “Love!” as my wife drove the kids away. First me. Then them. Then me again. Then (faintly) them. Then once more for good measure I’d cup my hands around my mouth and yell “LOVE!” at the top of my lungs in the direction they were traveling. Then, in my mind, they’d return the call one last time from the bottom of our street, having picked up on the cadence…
Before we had children, I didn’t care much about them. It’s not that I abhorred children (I understood the concept of keeping our species going, after all), it’s just that because me and my wife didn’t have any, they weren’t important. Other people had kids. We had a dog. But then one thing lead to another and yadda yadda yadda now we’re the parents of two daughters who are 12 and 14. And surprisingly, being a father is great. I…
She gets onto the bus and forgets about me. Immersed in a different world filled with friends, and social media, and talking about middle school things. When she returns in the afternoon, I ask her about her day. Fine, she says flipping her hair back like she always does. Why do you want to know how my day was? she thinks. School is boring and I don’t want to have to relive it for your benefit. Just fine? I ask…
