This time of year always makes me think of the many traditions that we have developed over the years of raising our children. I suppose that’s because of the variety of fun holidays that occur within the next few months. One of the parts of raising kids almost to adulthood (my four kids are now 17-20 years old) that has totally surprised me is their interest in hanging on to some of the family t…
As the one who frequently comes up with crazy ideas, I asked Sarah a few weeks ago if she’d like to join me and contribute to this series on parenting. As we’re just rounding the bend of our first year caring for and raising human life, we thought there might be some practical pieces of advice to give, mostly learning from our mistakes. And if that’s not helpful, we promise to load these posts up with …
Shortly after my second daughter was born I embarked on a casual, but lifelong project. It goes without saying that, having never been one myself, I have very little insight on what it means to be a daughter. That said, I now find myself with a deeply vested interest in successfully raising two. Since I’m fortunate to know many happy, healthy and well-adjusted women of all ages I decided to start a…
When I was a little boy there were strict rules about what we could and could not do on the Sabbath. It seemed that there were far more things that were prohibited than were permitted. Most Sabbath days looked the same: Sunday School and worship in the morning; lunch at home; quiet afternoon in our living room or that of my grandfather; back home for dinner; and the evening at the church for…
My boys have discovered this new game. I call it pummels, and I’m reasonably sure it’s going to be a part of raising young boys for quite a few years. Here’s the game: I, the large lumbering father figure, lay down upon the ground. The boys, tossing aside whatever they were previously working on, crawl at breakneck speed in my direction. Upon arriving at their lifeless father on the floor, they rise …
