“I thought you were brushing your teeth?” The Animal called out from his bedroom, as I reached the top step. My wife and daughter weren’t home yet, but it was late and my son was already in bed and waiting for me to tuck him in. I answered him from across the way in…(Read More)
The first time Boogieface asked for a dog she was just three years old. Not gonna happen, we said. But she persisted. So we told her she could get one when she turned 10. Lying to your kids is one of the many privileges of parenthood. Of course when 10 rolled around, there was still…(Read More)
If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be here. The first eight years of parenthood were tough. It seemed like I’d never get to a point where I wasn’t helping my kids do something. Then just like that it got easier. Suddenly they could get their own cereal. They could bathe…(Read More)
“Daddy, I can’t find my Raggies!” My heart sunk as soon as she said it. We were on vacation in New Hampshire, and Boogieface was getting ready to go to bed when she realized her beloved ‘Raggies’ — a pair of old burp cloths she sleeps with every night — were missing. Immediately I began…(Read More)
“After nine miserable years, we finally get a new couch!” We were enjoying a late lunch at Athens Family Restaurant in Beaver Falls when The Animal made this pronouncement. I mean, my wife and I knew our old couch had seen better days, but it was news to us both that our son had been…(Read More)
I don’t like dancing. Don’t get me wrong, I got rhythm. When a song comes on with a good beat, I can tap my foot just as good as the next guy. Just don’t ask me to dance. Unless, that is, you’re my daughter. I don’t know when it all…(Read More)
My garage is a heavily armed military base for repelling an attacking enemy-droid army. My parked pickup truck is a troop transport on some days, on others it’s an inter-galactic spaceship. My entire yard, in fact, is a battleground for Nerf-gun-armed zombie killers and light-saber wielding Jedi. Such is…(Read More)
My heart pounded as I crouched in the corner of the field, carefully scanning for any sign of movement. I knew they were near, hunting me. I could hear them moving through the dried stalks in the distance. Just when I thought I was safe, I heard footsteps to my right. Turning toward the noise…(Read More)
Parenthood. What a roller-coaster ride. Saturday our kids competed against other Catholic schools in the Pittsburgh Diocesan Championship at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds. We had high hopes for The Animal, who as a 3rd-grader has shown great promise, regularly beating runners 2 or 3 grades older. Honestly, I just wanted him to try…(Read More)
One thing I’ve always tried to be mindful about is my kids. I’ve always tried to be present in and appreciative of each and every moment I have with them while they’re still young. This isn’t always easy, of course. Take when The Animal decided to use his head to obliterate…(Read More)