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Andrew Knott

About Andrew Knott

Andrew Knott is a writer from Orlando, Fla., and father of three. He has contributed writing to McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Scary Mommy, Weekly Humorist, Fatherly and Huff Post, among others. He also writes on his website, Explorations of Ambiguity. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He is the author of Fatherhood: Dispatches From the Early Years.

Is There an Old Normal to Go Back to After this New One?

October 7, 2020 by Andrew Knott Leave a Comment

new normal at home person in gas mask surrounded by toilet paper

I sit in front of my laptop at my kitchen table most weekdays now, writing radio advertisements while my 6-year-old sits beside me on another laptop learning math in Spanish. Like many things in 2020, that sentence would’ve made very little sense to me a year ago. Yet here we are. My son sits in his chair, knees pulled up to his chest, watching the screen. His teacher talks about prisma rectangulares and triangulos. I don’t understand much more than the names of shapes, numbers and colors, and I don’t think my son really does either. But it’s the beginning of his second year in a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: at-home parenting, work-life balance Tagged With: COVID19, fears, safety

Best Parenting Moments Can Still Define Us, Even at Our Worst

May 20, 2020 by Andrew Knott Leave a Comment

Somehow, I ended up arguing with my oldest child about doughnut holes. Again. My three kids and I were driving to my mom’s house late on a Sunday morning. As is tradition during our hour-long drive, we swung into the drive-thru to pick up coffee for me and a treat for the kids to share. After collecting the bounty, I always pass the cup of doughnut holes to the kids in the back seat and they fight like a pack of agitated badgers over whose turn it is to hold the cup and dole out the contents. Holder of the cup is the highest of honors, so a fair amount of squabbling and thrashing is to be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: parenting advice, relationships Tagged With: anger, discipline, emotions

Navigating Joy, Worry When Your Spouse is a Healthcare Worker

April 22, 2020 by Andrew Knott Leave a Comment

Stressed man sits, hands on head, worry dread

It’s such a strange disconnect. It feels like the world is falling down around me, yet, on my little island, everything seems sunny and bright. Quite literally as well as figuratively. Every day for the past several weeks, the Florida weather has been relentlessly bright, clear, dry and hot. Completely inappropriate for an apocalypse. And inside the walls of our suburban home, with an air conditioner that whirs and rumbles most hours of the day and night, things are cheery and comfortable. The halls are filled with squeals of joy and laughter that bounce off the wood floors and invade every … [Read more...]

Filed Under: at-home parenting, education, health Tagged With: COVID19, homeschooling, working parents

Remembering Dad Who Taught Life Lessons Even in Quietest Moments

February 12, 2020 by Andrew Knott Leave a Comment

father son sit on bench stare at sea remembering dad

Losing a parent is something you’re never adequately prepared for no matter how inevitable it might be. My dad’s passing in December was both shocking and not. He had Parkinson’s disease for almost 30 years. Such a disease keeps mortality ever present in your mind, and his life had been increasingly difficult in recent years, but the end seemed to come like an afternoon thunderstorm during the Florida summer. Somewhat expected, but still completely jarring. His passing left the earth beneath me unsteady. I often feel like I’m walking on the rocks beside a stream. Usually the walk is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: death, memories Tagged With: aging parent, fathers

Why I Love Secretly Observing My Children Play Tennis

October 16, 2019 by Andrew Knott Leave a Comment

boy child serves tennis ball

On a hot summer morning, I walk stealthily from my car to the covered pavilion in between two rows of tennis courts at the front of the park. I make sure to approach from a particular direction, keeping the small trees and bushes between me and the courts so I remain unnoticed. I sit on a weathered green bench attached to a picnic table. I disrupt a squirrel’s meal and, startled, it scampers away to safety. I’ve given up some things to be a stay-at-home parent — career, money, a large swath of my sanity — but moments like this make the sacrifice worth it. Quiet moments of secretive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: parenting advice, parenting styles, play, sports Tagged With: anxiety, helicopter parenting, humor, tennis

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