It is hard for me to believe that I recently marked three years since I choose to become a stay-at-home dad. When my wife was became pregnant in early 2015, the initial plan was for us to do the same thing for our latest bundle of joy that we did for our first child nearly four years before: each of us would take a few weeks of leave then put our baby in daycare so we could return to our full-time jobs. When we found out we were having twins, those plans completely changed. Having three kids in daycare would probably put us in the poor house because, for some reason, daycares don’t have … [Read more...]
Backyard Baseball Field Fading Fast, Memories Staying Strong
I know where it is. I see it pretty frequently, but, unless you knew it was there, you’d probably miss it. I picked it up, rescued it really, from the lawn mower a couple of years back and put it in a fairly strange place. It was hiding in the tall grass, all the way back in the yard, just this side of the home-run fence. It was what we always called a “game ball” to differentiate it from a “practice ball.” Game balls come off the bat hotter than the smooshy practice balls, so it was worthy of a rescue. If you’ve ever been around wooden fences, you know that sometimes the posts begin to … [Read more...]
A Boy was Bullied Yesterday, and it Needs to Stop Now
Editor's Note: October is National Bullying Prevention Month. According to the Stomp Out Bullying organization, one in four U.S. students say they have been bullied and 5.4 million kids stay home from school on any given day due to a fear of being bullied. A boy was bullied yesterday. I know, I know, a million or more boys -- and girls -- were bullied yesterday. But yesterday it was one boy, a specific boy, a boy I know, a boy I like. I went with my two boys to pick him up for practice, his parents both work and the practices were bumped up to five recently to accommodate the earlier … [Read more...]
Neonatal Unit Success Stories Teach Parents Valuable Lessons
Editor's Note: September is Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Awareness Month, designed to honor families who have used these medical facilities (one in 10 babies spend some time in a NICU) and the health professionals who care for the them. Several contributors to the website Fathers of Multiples, where this article first appeared, recently wrote about their NICU experiences. Most defining, stressing time of our lives No words or experience can prepare you for the roller coaster of emotions of being a NICU parent. Our children are both NICU graduates. Born at 33 weeks gestation, they … [Read more...]
Church: Family Routine, Rut or Foundation for a Beautiful Future
I am paying attention although sometimes that just means I am aware of my inattention. Words float around in the high space above. Sunlight through stained glass illuminates the pews across from us. The scent of perfumed parishioners and powdered babies mingles with incense past and, oddly, Old Spice. All is familiar, routine. The words drop from above, and I focus on them, or I try to. “… let us give thanks to the Lord.” Two boys of the same age stand in the row with me, my wife beyond them. I look down at the closest one as he says, “It is right and just.” He doesn’t just mumble … [Read more...]
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