Summer Parenting Is Often a Winding and Bumpy Road
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My family discovered a new outdoor activity that helped us ward off the mid-summer malaise but after just a few days, bruises, bumps, and a broken-down car ended our fun.
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I started writing down my life goals and it turned out to be a list of places where I want to nap, but haven’t yet
— Andrew Knott (@aknott21) February 12, 2018
Writing about parenting, fatherhood, life, and all things ambiguous
I Had the Weirdest Job Interview Ever
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I’ve been a stay-at-home dad for more than a decade, and I have to admit that trying to reenter the job market after so long has been even more daunting than I expected.
Read MoreMy 7-Year-Old’s OSHA Complaint
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My daughter is only seven, but she’s already worked the worst job in the world.
Read MoreReport: 8-Year-Old Shocked to Learn Local Dad Knows the Song “Love Story” by Taylor Swift
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Orlando, FL — The sky was slate gray and there was a slight chill in the air on the Thursday afternoon when a young girl’s world was turned upside down.
Read MoreHow My Poor Eyesight Entertains the Masses and Mortifies an Optical Store Clerk
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I left my eyeglasses at a La Quinta Inn in Fort Lauderdale.
Read MoreI Almost Survived Volunteering at the School Book Fair Without Having an Existential Crisis
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I didn’t know if I’d be able to write this week because I was so busy volunteering at the elementary school Book Fair.
Read MoreYouTube Taught Me That My Life’s Passion is Changing Bicycle Tires
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I’ve been really getting into bicycle repair lately.
It’s probably my number one passion if you don’t count nagging my kids to do their homework.
Read MoreSkate Night Is Back and It's Still Gloriously Chaotic
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The beginning of each school year brings with it the return of many familiar rituals and events, but perhaps none is more important than Elementary School Skate Night.
Read MoreThis One Time at Band Camp
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My oldest child is in sixth grade this year, which means he has moved up from the cozy and comfortable elementary school that is decorated floor to ceiling with ladybugs to the more utilitarian and intimidating middle school that looks like a cross between a small community college and a correctional facility.
Read MoreThe Indignity of Using an Umbrella in the Sun
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I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it’s been hot lately. Like, obscenely hot.
I’m a Florida native so heat and humidity are as natural to me as a lizard crawling across my toes or a frog hanging out on the wall of my kids’ bedroom, but this year the heat has just been… different.
Read MoreSchool is Back… Now What?
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My kids returned to school today. This seems to happen every year and I somehow never really get used to it. It’s like one day they’re here and the next they’re gone… well, for five or six hours at least.
Read MoreBreaking Curfew with Illegal Fireworks and Other Beach Adventures: Part 3 of a Summer Vacation Diary
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July Fourth. Independence Day. Fireworks Day (as my kids typically call it). No matter what name you prefer, this is a day that I often feel conflicted about.
Read MoreI Completely Botched the Surf Report and Other Musings from the Beach: Part 2 of a Summer Vacation Diary
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The first day of July brought with it our first full beach day. It was a Saturday of a holiday week, so the beach was probably very crowded.
Read MoreI Went to Buc-ee’s and the Beaver Made Me Leave My Soul Behind so My Body Could Walk Free
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Day 1 (pretty sure about this one) — June 29
Thursday was our first travel day. Our plan was to drive from central Florida to Savannah because we couldn’t get into the beach place until Friday, and we didn’t want to drive the full distance in one day because our kids hate the car.
Read MoreI Never Expected I’d Become a Plastic Straw Kleptomaniac
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A slippery slope to a surprising compulsion
Read MoreHow to Fill the Space When Children Grow Up and Artificial Intelligence Takes Over
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I drove up to our local park one morning recently when my kids were all at school. This park with the playground tucked away in the back corner by the lake is where I spent countless hours with my children in what is slowly but surely starting to feel like a different lifetime.
Read MoreFor Better or Worse Another Summer Slips and Slides Away
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If you’re a parent who spends a lot of time online, it’s hard to escape the meme about making the most of the 18 summers you have with your children before they leave home.
Read MoreAre You a Leaf or a Dead Bat?
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My 10-year-old son and I were playing two-square in our driveway after I picked him up from school. It was one of those hot, muggy Florida afternoons where it seems like everything is melting at least a little. Even the bright yellow chalk we used to outline the court felt a little squishy.
Read MoreSometimes a Walk in the Woods Is All You Need
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When I was in my twenties and extremely bored, I came across a book by humorist Bill Bryson called A Walk in the Woods.
Read MoreWhen Your Child Has a Chronic Illness, It Changes Everything
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When you’re a parent, you eventually find some sort of rhythm. It doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it probably takes years for almost everyone. The addition of another child at any point along the road typically requires a reset.
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