I killed a thousand butterflies. It's not my proudest moment. It happened right in front of my children, too. Not just my children, but 13 other children as well. Things could have gone better. This past summer in Iowa,dad;s butterflies migrated right through the center of the state. It happened to coincide with my annual "dad's trip." This is the trip my dad's group takes every year so we can build memories with our children. We pick a direction and go. We see the silliest of the silly. Large balls of twine or the world's largest set of overalls. And this time, we killed at least 17% of … [Read more...]
Summer is Dead, Long Live Summer: A Back-to-School Story
According to Facebook, we are now entering the most wonderful time of the year. Soon, the entire social platform will be virtually overrun with endless photos featuring the hottest trends in back-to-school fashion, unstained and firmly pressed beneath the forced smiles of freshly scrubbed children. Next up: Pumpkin Spice Lattes. The parents, however, are not forcing anything. The reaction shots of ecstatic moms and triumphant dads celebrating the return of academia are becoming increasingly popular. School is back from summer vacation, and the carpool is a small price to pay for the end of … [Read more...]
Summer Goals, Routines Make for Kids’ Maximum Enjoyment, Your Sanity
School’s out! It’s time to get back to a summer routine. I’ve set a few rules and routines for the summer while I’m home with my kids full-time, so these summer goals are now ours: Screen time Screens and time spent on devices is always a tricky subject around our household. I like the idea of allowing them time to use screens each day for a limited time, but in the past that screen time bleeds into longer and longer periods. Our family usually does better with screens on Friday afternoons and weekends only, which is what we did all school year. We will likely stick to this plan. … [Read more...]
Unscheduled Summer Brings Some Shame, Some Boredom, Much Joy
What are my kids doing this summer? Nothing. That’s right, nothing. We’ve signed them up for zero camps, have scheduled no play dates and, alas, have no true idea of how we might occupy four kids between the ages of 5 and 12 over the upcoming school-less months. Yes, I’ve taken note of your full summer calendars. I hear your days will be packed with baseball camp, fishing camp, STEM camp, robotics camp, the YMCA day school, soccer camp, your week at Disney and the photography class you’ve registered for. I must say, I’m a bit jealous of the action-packed days you have ahead. I’m … [Read more...]
Does Your Family Need a Fresh Perspective? Try the Roof
“We can’t live like this,” my overheated 14-year-old daughter declared. We were a few days into our recent move to a new house — actually, to a very old house with many things that needed fixing. Its lack of air conditioning added to our misery, especially given the unfortunate heat wave. At first, my wife and I laughed at my daughter’s melodramatic statement (and her humidity-induced curly hair). People lived without air conditioning for millennia, I explained to her. Discomfort builds character, I reasoned to myself. Besides, we planned to install air conditioning in the near … [Read more...]