This week, a game of "Would You Rather" leads us into the darkest depths of the ocean, where Miles makes a definitive choice about what type of sea creature he'd prefer to be. If you've never been to the bottom of the sea (and especially if you have), you'll no doubt be surprised by some … Continue reading Conversations with a Five-Year-Old: Episode 6 – “Life Under the Sea”
Five years ago today, I couldn't quite find the words to express how I was feeling. Since then, I have managed to find words. Lots of 'em, in fact. About fatherhood. About learning. About teaching. About fun. About exhaustion. About growing up and getting older (which are not the same thing...people can get older without … Continue reading Day 1,826
I'm generally an evidence-based sort of guy. I don't believe everything I hear, even if it's what I want to hear, without checking other sources. There are, of course, some exceptions. And like I want to believe is the case for most people who tend towards blind trust, when I see something like this I … Continue reading Year 5, Day 159
It takes approximately nine and a half hours to drive from our home to Princeton, NJ. At least that's what Google Maps says, but it's worth noting that they don't have an "adjust time for toddler" button. If they did, that number would swell to somewhere around 15 hours. Spending hours on end confined to … Continue reading Year 4, Day 173
I'm not sure if you've been able to discern this from the multitude of blog posts I've produced on the matter, but raising a toddler is really f***ing hard. When Miles is happy, he's usually running around screaming. When he's upset, he's STILL screaming. Our attention is demanded by him at all times, and about … Continue reading Year 4, Day 159
Being a parent is regularly overwhelming, and there is absolutely no question that I need frequent breaks from my family (if only to cower in a corner and rock back and forth in silence for a few minutes). But this morning as I was dropping Miles off at daycare, he clung to my leg and … Continue reading Year 3, Day 336
Tonight was...not great. Mommy had work to be doing, daddy just wanted to finish his dinner, and Miles was trapped in that hellish point in the day where he's too tired to stay up but too unwilling to go to sleep, resulting in crying fits where nothing we did, regardless of how explicitly we conformed … Continue reading Year 3, Day 244
"Oh, he's mad at you."I heard Jaclyn's voice just a second before I heard Miles slam his bedroom door. My first thought: "What did I do?"As it turned out, Miles had been collecting his Duplo blocks in the middle of the living room floor and asking me to sit down and build "choo-choo train" out … Continue reading Year 3, Day 98
With today bringing more lousy weather, we decided to take Miles to Monkey Joe's in north Charlotte this evening to run off some energy and, hopefully, go to bed at a reasonable hour. Commanding his attention with a variety of games and inflatables, Monkey Joe's kept Miles more than occupied for a couple hours. While … Continue reading Year 2, Day 356
A little over a month ago, I sat waiting with bated breath to see the first episode of Disney+'s original Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Free of the shackles of characters named (or implied to be) Skywalker, I hoped the show would present an all-in look at different unscrupulous characters occupying the far corners of … Continue reading Year 2, Day 284: The Mandalorian is a Model for the Modern Parent
The Perils (& Pride) of Paternity 