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CHILDHOOD ENDING LEADS TO BLURRED LINES

February 17, 2026 by

A childhood ending comes in several varieties. The people you meet in early childhood often signal the end later. It might be a parent, a teacher, or the latest bully on the block. All of them are the problem, beginning with parents.

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TENSION AND RELEASE, THEN REPEAT

August 24, 2025 by

Honest Abe knew all about tension and release. When things got a little too tight for the old rail splitter, he grabbed his other axe and let it out. Some say he was a rocker, some say a folk singer, but he was a blues man. Look at the way he’s working the fifth fret […]

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GETTING READY TO GET READY, THEN WHAT

March 9, 2025 by

Are baby boomers getting ready? They’ve been getting ready all their life. The boomer baby is continually shown as a rebel, a kid who grew up with a pledge to ‘not be like our parents.’ It was fine until one day we became parents. It was fine until we got all the left-overs.

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LANGUAGE ARTS FOR THE WIN

February 13, 2025 by

Language arts is the difference between the possible and the impossible. Can we return to childhood? Would you want to? Or . . .

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DAD POWER: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SUPER

October 12, 2021 by

Dad power comes from men who know the secret of being a dad. It begins in denial. “I’ll never have kids, I’ve got enough problems.” Then curiosity. “I’d be a better dad than anyone I know.” The final straw? “I think my girlfriend would be a great mom.” That’s it. That’s the entire post. But […]

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DAD DEGREES LIKE COLLEGE DEGREE, BUT GRADED BY WIFE

July 8, 2020 by

Dad degrees? If you’re never heard of one, it’s because they don’t exist. Or do they? Don’t we grade parents like we do anything else? Start with the parents from childhood, your childhood, not your kid’s. I’ll go first.

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FAMILY TIES OVERCOME SOME THINGS, NOT OTHERS

January 9, 2019 by

    Everyday I wake up I see a little gold tree with small family portraits hanging from the bare branches. Maybe you’ve got one that looks like the top image? That’s not mine. Mine used to be on my childhood fireplace mantle beside my grandfather’s railroad watch. Now I’ve got them both, and they’ve […]

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KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU, (UH HUH)

December 11, 2018 by

    Knowing Me As a young child in an unsupervised moment one of my playmates decided to ride his trike. I hopped on the back axle where there was room to stand and gave him a big push. Except he pulled back on the handle bars just as I pushed and popped a wheelie […]

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GREAT ATHLETES, GREAT PARENTS. BETTER RESULTS?

January 2, 2017 by

First place is what great athletes aim for. In the beginning competition reflected the nature of mankind. Whether you cheer for the first life-form slithering from the sea, or the Garden of Eden story, first place is the only place. First place is the happy place. Losers get disappointment and bitterness. They all come after […]

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