I met a friend for coffee the other day. It’s something we try to do on a regular basis, which, apparently, means once every eight months. Our schedules have proven difficult to align, despite our living two miles apart, having kids at the same school, and working in similar creative fields. It takes half a year and two dozen texts to create 90 minutes of quality time at Starbucks, 15 of which are spent standing in line. This is the sum of our parts, a life defined by new math and the old habits we cannot help but cling to. This is a pattern in my life, and I’m not sure how I got here. … [Read more...]
About Whit Honea
Life in America: Active Shooters, Escape Plans and Lockdowns
“I could make the jump.” He was sitting across from me at a small bistro table sandwiched between walkway and railing. We were sharing a pretzel, one of us more than the other, and speaking of the things that people do while shopping for shorts on a Saturday. “I could jump to the escalator,” he reiterated against my disagreement. He mentioned his parkour training. He referenced his youth. “There are better options,” I said. We were in the same mall we always go to for back-to-school needs, having a new version of the same conversation we’ve had for years. The recent addition of … [Read more...]
Fun Times Slip Like Sand Through the Parenting Hourglass
I used to be a lot more fun. There was a time, it feels like years ago, when every free moment was seemingly spent amusing my kids (and myself in the process). But lately, that isn’t the case. Granted, these days there is far less free time to speak of; plus, the boys no longer consider me their primary source of entertainment. Both factors render my services more or less unnecessary, which is a justifiable excuse for the dulling of my comedic timing, but it’s more than that. I often feel like I’m actively avoiding fun. To be fair, some of the blame can be placed upon our family’s … [Read more...]
Teen Years’ Metamorphosis Breaks Us Out of Parenting Cocoon
There were butterflies everywhere, so many that I was hesitant to open my mouth for fear one might accept the invitation. Besides, taking this walk was my turn to listen. The only sounds were a panting dog and the distant waves of traffic. My oldest son, on the cusp of 16, was a step ahead, leash in hand and disappointment everywhere. The walk had been my idea — even though he and the dog have a daily date to do so — this one wasn’t to schedule and being voluntold for the excursion conflicted with his plans to plan nothing. The dog, however, was thrilled. The hope for a conversation … [Read more...]
‘Avengers: Endgame’ Proves There’s No End to the Dadgame
Warning: The following contains some minor spoilers for "Avengers: Endgame" and other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It all started with a son. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who would become Iron Man, the leader of the Avengers and subsequent father figure to Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland), was so driven by the ghost of his own father that the elder Stark's specter cast a shadow over the entire MCU. Tony Stark, over a series of 22 total films, was joined by others on either side of the dad divide: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), both … [Read more...]
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