Comfort is king when coping with a pandemic. Just look at the nostalgic family activities that have returned to so many homes: arts and crafts, card and board games, cooking and gardening. As we all continue to nest against our will, our Zoomed-out brains and bodies crave non-virtual, low-tech, familiar experiences. Fortunately, one of the retro family experiences that has been coming back (or at least holding steady) has been the pleasure of reading print books. Anecdotally, I can confirm this by the increased use of our family’s Little Free Library in the front yard. As a writer and … [Read more...]
Happiness or Success? We Must Help Kids Choose for Themselves
A few weeks ago, my 14-year-old son, Yosef, had a decision to make. Would his fall sport of choice be football or cross country? While insignificant compared to the major world issues engulfing the news each night, this choice was important to him. Yosef was entering a new high school where roster spots on any other athletic team would be nearly impossible to come by. As the season drew nearer, my wife and I detected Yosef’s self-induced pressure to make a fall sports pick was mounting. My son understood his mother and I would support any decision. I’m sure my son also understood his … [Read more...]
Integrity at Stake as People Revolt Against Bad Hands Dealt by Life
Hey, my teenage sons -- it’s time for your old man to give you a little more unwanted advice. I know the two of you are soon to start your sophomore year of high school and don’t really care for “words of wisdom” and that sort of crap; I can dig that. I also know that you are built on strong moral and intellectual foundations – cool. You are trusted and respected by the adults around you and in your peer group – well done. However … You have been thrown into the most manic of maelstroms and the weirdest of worlds teenagers have faced in a very long time. Nothing is even close to the way it … [Read more...]
‘Mind the Gap’ Pandemic Creates to Reframe Your Kids’ Lives
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...]
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