One night recently at the dinner table, my wife said to me, “You know you’re the reason why the boys are the way they are.” While I might have hoped this was general praise for their overall wonderfulness, I think what she was referring to specifically was their petty competitiveness. As is often the case, our 4- and 6-year-old sons were enjoying their dinner with a side of brotherly bickering. School had recently started for both, and they were arguing over who had received more points from their teacher that day. Our older son’s first-grade teacher uses an app to help parents track … [Read more...]
About Andrew Knott
5 Reasons Dads Should Take Their Kids on a Solo Road Trip
Earlier this summer, my kids and I embarked on a 600-mile road trip without my wife. Many people thought I was crazy, including, most notably, my wife. As is almost always the case, she was right.
The drive from our home in Florida to North Carolina was a grind and the fact that we had to turn around and do it all over again in just a few days was downright brutal. The in-between part while we were on what some might call a "vacation" wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either, although … [Read more...]
Parenting Sick Kids: The Art of Juggling (Vomit) Bowls Atop a Unicycle
An acrobat known as Red Panda has been a staple of basketball halftime shows across the country for more than 20 years. I once saw her in person at an NBA game years before I had children. I was stunned by her simple in concept, yet seemingly impossible in practice, act. In short, she rides a very tall unicycle, places an increasing numbers of bowls onto her foot and leg, flips the bowls into the air, and catches them in a stack on her head. She never stops peddling her unicycle and she rarely ever drops a bowl. Her performances are mesmerizing. But because I was a single, child-free … [Read more...]
Loitering, or the Awkward Art of Spending Quality Time with Your Kids
I’m always looking for fun activities to do with the kids after school and on weekends. It can be difficult, though, because it’s hard to come up with things a 1-, 3-, and 6-year-old will all enjoy. My wife was out of town for a few days recently and, suddenly, the need for fun (time-killing) activities felt even more urgent. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a stay-at-home father for more than six years so I’m as equipped as anyone to solo parent for a few days, but really, no one is suitably equipped for this. To make matters worse, my 6-year-old has gotten really interested in Minecraft … [Read more...]
The Vanishing Illusion of Safety in Wake of Yet Another School Shooting
She clings to the green monkey bar on our backyard play set with her little fingers. The nail on her right index finger is an angry purple-blue. The scar from a lost battle with the small iron trap door in the ground by our mailbox that conceals our water meter, which is as endlessly fascinating to a 1-year-old as it is hazardous to appendages. I stand below the bars, my hands resting on her hips. She presses the souls of her pink and black sneakers against my chest, smiles her heart-melting smile, and giggles as she pushes herself up. Her waist at bar level, leaning forward to peak over … [Read more...]