Father’s Day – and No Running Water!!!

Sounds like an old-timer remembering the “good ole days,” huh? No. On Saturday morning, our main sewer became too clogged. Water leaked from the bottom of our basement toilet. We had to shut the main supply valve. Unfortunately we thought it was the toilet and not the main, so we had a friend of ours come by that evening – had we thought it was the sewer, we’d have called our regular sewer main guy, who was due for a regular visit here soon and who also works on Saturdays. Fortunately, we had many places to go this weekend: three … Continue reading →

Father’s Day Message

Last night I was watching American Hot Wax, a great cult classic from 1978. It purports to be a week in the life of Alan Freed, legendary disk jockey who popularized the phrase “rock and roll” and was its most important champion to the mainstream pop audience. It shows Freed at his radio station playing records, being bombarded by record producers and agents and singers looking to get their songs heard, going to a studio to give some production assistance, and trying to put together a big revue at the once-grand Brooklyn Paramount theater. The film is not historically accurate. … Continue reading →

“I am Not My Father”: Separating Yourself from Your Parents

No, I am not talking about physical separation, and not even emotional separation. Those are a whole other set of issues worth thinking about. I am talking about being conscious of the difference between you and your parents. Dads spend more time thinking about this than you might think, but those thoughts usually articulate themselves in one way: “I don’t wanna be like my dad” or “I wanna be as good as my dad.” Those are fine starting points, but too often, men don’t go to the next step and think about what it is about their fathers (and mothers) … Continue reading →

Blogs and Dads and Communication

Writing about being a father is not the easiest thing. For one thing, there’s a lot of self-analysis that goes into the process, and most guys are not into that. For another, it involves having lots of experience at being a father, and sadly, many guys are not. In many respects the work that I do at this site is the most difficult I’ve done. But it’s also some of the most important. For those who read my blog – thanks, Mom! – you hopefully gain some insights into how a father thinks. I don’t know if I am a … Continue reading →

Talking About What The Kids Say…

So this morning I am listening to more sportstalk radio. Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic have a reasonably popular morning show on ESPN Radio and simulcast on ESPN2 cable, and Greenberg recounts a story that happened to him at a local restaurant, when he was out with his two young sons. A man and his son come up to Greenberg, and the father says, “we’re big fans.” The son, upon seeing Greenberg’s boys, reminds Greenberg with a certain fondness of when Greenberg told listeners that his youngest son liked to get up and dance and sing about “my stupid butt.” … Continue reading →

Breakfast and Butterflies

About a year or two ago, friends of ours gave us a “butterfly kit” from insectlore.com. it’s a remarkable thing: they send you a net and a jar with four to six caterpillars and food. When the caterpillars begin to make their chrysalides, you put them in the net so that they can hang from atop the net. Then one day, POP! Butterflies! We bought a new set of caterpillars this year and both our girls studied them intensely. They were excited even just to see them moving in the food jar! As the chrysalides formed we decided to bring … Continue reading →

A Prayer for A Space for Dad in the Home (a Friday Funny, one day earlier!)

In the beginning, there was plenty of space for guys. We called the outdoors home. We roamed the flat earth, hunting, killing, eating raw flowers as men must do. We stayed in caves when water fell from the sky. We drank the water when we were thirsty. Soon we found ways of fishing and hunting that were better than running and wrestling. When a man named Zippo invented the lighter, we learned to cook meat. When a man named Emeril came along, he spoke our language – BAM! – and showed us he how to kick it up a notch. … Continue reading →

The Working Dad is back at Work

Okay, I admit it: it’s nice to be back. It’s nice to have an actual office to go to. It’s not easy to get stuff I need to get done while at home. I’m not a 9-to-5 employee, but I still have full-time work, with grading papers, preparing notes, research, and of course the additional load of some free-lance writing. When I’m home, I can easily get sucked into the role of “crisis manager.” Someone hollers, I need to find out what the deal is. The phone rings. I get hungry easily. Nature calls. Bills stare at me, nervously, wondering … Continue reading →

Saturday Shopping? Dad Goes Nuts

Well, the day started out fine… We had a great, easy Saturday morning: I made breakfast, my wife slept late, handed me the sheets, I did the laundry while she dusted, and eventually we made it out to shop for a bunk bed set for the girls. The furniture store experience was fairly pleasant, as the kids were easily distracted. Then, we went to Target. On a Saturday afternoon. What WERE we thinking? The little one needed a nap and she had not taken one by the time we arrived in the parking lot. She was woozy, but stubborn. She … Continue reading →

Dad’s Recipe for a Great Saturday Morning

In an earlier version of my bio , I mentioned that in addition to my comparatively unique perspective, I also had recipes to share. Although I have been blogging at this site for six months now (!), I’ve not posted a single recipe anywhere. Not in my blog, not in any forum; nothing. This post will change all that. I woke up this morning and managed a fine weekend repast for the family – well, we were in fact minus-one, since our oldest had a sleepover at her aunt’s house around the corner. And the truth is, the energy level … Continue reading →