This topic is so obvious yet I have yet to write about it. It may be partly because it is so close to home, for my boys.  I was blessed to have my mother and father in my life completely and lovingly, until they died in recent years (at 89 and 90).  They loved me, [...]

Teen energy, angst, and anger manifest itself in so many ways. Every day it seems that we read about some teen that has done something unusually self-destructive, and occasionally destructive to others. Columbine was an extreme example of this.  Many so-called “normal” teens tend to use or abuse the ol’ standbys of drinking, drugs, and [...]

Is it ever okay to keep a secret from your spouse?  If so, what secrets are okay and which are not?  I would suggest there are times where a so-called “white lie” is a good thing while most of the time honesty is truly the best policy. An example of a good “white lie” is [...]

My wife dragged me to her church for an all-day seminar called “Turbulence Ahead–Parenting Teens Through the Bumpy Years.”  I went along, in support of her and in support of her recent “turbulence” with our oldest son, who is 16½ and a handful.  But, my initial reaction was that this was a long time to [...]

Father’s Day for me is now a melancholy experience.  I certainly appreciate the attention that I get from my two boys and my wife.  My younger son tends to make an artistic gift for me, since he’s the artist of the family, while my older one will scribble some sweet sentiments on a piece of [...]

There’s nothing new dealing with teens that think they know it all, but recently I’ve found that my 13-year-old is making me crazy with his attitude. I’ve got another teen at home – his 16-year-old brother, so I do have some experience living with a teen, but it doesn’t get any easier! David and I [...]

My son and I had an extraordinary experience this Spring Break while on a ski trip at Mammoth, California.  It was just the two of us, since my wife stayed home for work and my older son preferred hanging out with his friends and girlfriend (I can’t blame him, as she’s wonderful).  So, it was [...]

This past Easter I was skiing with my younger son.  As my middle-aged body gets sore from several hours on the slopes, I tend to indulge in the jacuzzi to ease some the aches I’ve earned each day.  On this past Easter Sunday, I ended up sharing the communal jacuzzi at the condo complex with [...]

On May 3, 2010, my son’s dreams came true! He went to see his idol Chris Cornell at a benefit acoustic concert at The Roxy, on Sunset Blvd, in Hollywood, California. With his girlfriend Logan, they pushed their way to the front of the crowd. Cornell was playing acoustic guitar with only a cello as back up. At a pause [...]

Last year, after my honeymoon to Africa, I struggled a bit to find the right material from that extraordinary experience to write about in my column. Happily, I came through with two of my personal favorite columns: each called “African Reflections” (Parts One and Two). This year, as I’m finishing up our trip to the [...]