Skate 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.
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Writing about parenting, fatherhood, life, and all things ambiguous
This 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 MoreCongratulations to All the Participants but I Have Once Again Won the Colonoscopy Contest
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I suppose, considering my age and station in life, it was inevitable that I would eventually make the transition from “guy who writes about parenting” to “guy who writes about having a colonoscopy.” Well, at long last, here we are.
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 MoreDiscovering Shame and Regret at the Bottom of a Popcorn Chicken Container in a Grocery Store Hot Case
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So, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up my chihuahua’s viagra prescription (it’s for his heart condition, to be clear).
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 MoreThe Bunnies and the Bees
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About eight months after getting our first pet rabbit, Apollo, we decided to get a second one. We always knew the bunny we added to our family would be a girl and she would be named Artemis. These were non-negotiables for obvious reasons.
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.
Read MoreThe Quiet Can Be Deceiving When You’re Parenting at the End of the World
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Most weekdays now I drop my kids off at school around 7:30 in the morning while the light is soft and the Florida winter air feels expectant.
Read MoreEventually, the Parenting “Lasts” Begin to Outpace the “Firsts”
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First words. First steps. First birthdays. First days of school. It’s no secret that “firsts” dominate the lives of parents of young children. Heck, we buy whole books about them and then forget to fill in anything because who has time for recordkeeping when there are hours of doll videos on YouTube to watch?
Read MoreIt Seems Like Milestones Aren’t What They Used to Be
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Sometimes we get so caught up in the daily minutiae of existing that it’s easy for the big milestones to sneak up on us.
Read MoreSometimes Tiny Yellow Wildflowers is Exactly What You Need
/I’ve been doing a lot of driving lately. After more than a year spent within a very tight radius of our home, we began to venture out more about the time school started.
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