My oldest son turns 15 this week, which has plenty of implications regarding his teen spirit, but also on my run as a father. I turned 47 a couple of months ago, which, if you carry the one, means I have been a dad for nearly a third of my life. It’s a funny thing, having built my writing career waxing melancholy on the always-closing, finger-smudged window of childhood, and the tenderness thereof, to now engage in conversations with a son nearly as tall as me, and a voice just as deep. His little brother isn’t far behind him. I admit that, in terms of monitoring milestones — the last … [Read more...]
Shoes of a Child Take Many Steps on Guided Journey Toward Adulthood
I found myself looking at this pair of shoes left in front of the sink in our bathroom last week, and I had an awful moment of enlightenment -- one of those moments when a dad is forced to realize his kids are growing up. Those shoes fit snugly on the feet of my 12-year-old son. As I stood there looking at them, I could almost see him standing there looking into the mirror. I could almost see him doing any number of the routine mundane tasks he does standing in that spot, that spot now marked by his very empty shoes. Before I knew it I was imagining him doing other tasks in front of that … [Read more...]
Nearly a Tween, Daughter Enjoying Childhood for as Long as She Can
My wife and I decided we wanted to raise children, not groom future college students or prep them for cubicled middle management, and to invest in childhood at every turn. Our return on investment has been remarkable. She’s arrived here at her own pace, free from impediments and devoid of turbocharged power boosts that would race her toward an imaginary checkered flag. My oldest daughter is 12. And a half, technically. A tween by any definition, and her childhood is still going strong. Some days she’s got the swagger of a confident individual who has all the answers, in a distinctly … [Read more...]