I first heard (and read) the phrase “mind the gap” back in college, when I was lucky enough to study abroad in London. It was written on the subway platforms to warn riders to be careful as they step over the small gap between the edge of the platform and the floor of the train. That “gap” is an apt metaphor for the unavoidable (dis)location we’ve all fallen into now. Even for the still healthy and employed, the COVID-19 pandemic is a gap writ large, more like a canyon between our “before” lives on the platform and whatever comes “after” we arrive in a post-pandemic world. As we continue to … [Read more...]
Disability Rights Movement Can Inform Today’s Parenting
July 26, 2020, will mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability. Earlier this year, my teen daughters and I watched a powerful new documentary available on Netflix called Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. The film explains how the disability rights movement evolved across decades. Though Crip Camp was released before the recent Black Lives Matter protests, its themes have much to teach parents at this critical cultural moment. The documentary focuses on Camp Jened, a 1971 summer camp for teens with disabilities. Many … [Read more...]
Which Father Mows Best? The 3 Types of Yard Dads
Help! I just bought a lawn edger. I blame the pandemic, which has resulted in so many of us spending more time at home and in our yard. I’m requesting help because I’ve always associated lawn power tools with old-timey dads. Specifically, one of my childhood neighbor dads who would regularly spend hours perfecting his yard with a host of noisy contraptions. Am I becoming that dad? But I’m a new-timey dad who spent many years as an at-home caregiver! Maybe that doesn’t matter when it comes to yard work. Granted, I have seen a growing number of moms who mow their lawn. But dads seem to … [Read more...]
Family Routines Essential During Lockdown’s ‘Unscheduled’ Time
COVID-19 has done a number on time. For parents lucky enough to be healthy and employed, a key challenge has become spending so many hours at home with children. Some time flies, some crawls. Either way, we’re faced with more "underscheduled" family time than ever. For inspiration, I like to revel in a memory made several years ago. There I was, lost in a vintage clothing store in search of an all-star-husband gift for my wife. But I quickly realized I would probably make another rookie mistake, so I just started chuckling at the platform shoes and feathered hats. Soon a salesperson … [Read more...]
Coping Strategies to Help Families Hit Brakes During Current Worries
There’s a road sign in the low mountains of western Massachusetts that used to strike fear in me: “Runaway Truck Ramp.” As I drove by the uphill side lane with its soft, gravel bed, scenes of crashing 18-wheelers with no brakes would careen through my mind. I passed the sign again last month on my way to retrieve my daughter from her college that, like so many others, closed early due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The empty interstate made me feel like I was driving through the zombie apocalypse, and it didn’t help when Ohio’s “limit your travel” signs gave way to New York’s more … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 13
- Next Page »