Chair Meets Door
But I am telling you it won’t fit!” “Yes, it will!” “No, it won’t. See how wide it is? Here, look at the tape measure.” “What does the tape measure have to do with anything?” And so it goes. Back…
The One About Raising Daughters
It seems every day now, the news brings word of another man accused of using his power to abuse and harass women. Women you know (or you yourself) have probably made a #MeToo post on social media sharing experiences of…
Please, No More Santas
His eyes follow you around the room! It’s true. They do. I swear. See for yourself. Start from this end of the den, where he watches you from his preferred spot on top of the TV cabinet, his nose and…
Driving Backwards
Our 1972 Toyota Corona station wagon lived a tough life when I was a kid. From the factory, it came with an AM radio and no AC. How much fun can anyone have with that? While other families had Oldsmobile…
Forever Twenty-Bucked
If you’re like me, you almost never see it coming. It’s a bolt out of the blue, a maddening surprise, a whack across the back of the head when you least expect it. And there’s nothing to do but hunch…
Dads and Passing Time
Not too long ago, I joined a small group of dads for some post-bedtime drinks at a local pub. We chatted about podcasts. We chatted about sportsball. And after a couple of drinks, the conversation shifted to talk about our…
The Real Thing
Atticus, you need a sport.” “Is rock ‘n roll a sport?” We were having a bedtime conversation. But before I answered, I thought about Mick and Keith, who still throw themselves across the stage and do all those high kicks.…
A Coach for All Seasons
“Jump!” I could hear him yelling up at me as I stood there shaking at the top of the high dive. I was ten years old and suddenly higher up than any tree I’d ever climbed. The water in the…
The Girls on the Bus
When my wife Kat and I were beginning our lives together, we didn’t know much, but we did know we wanted to live in a city. Suburbs are fine, but they weren’t for us. Growing up in the Northern Virginia…
