THE FATHER LIFE

The parents of every generation expect and hope that their children can and will do better than they did. Ours may be the first generation, in a very long while, where it is both unlikely and unrealistic to have this expectation. The world has just gotten much more complicated, much harder, [...]

When I was a child, my mother brought home a little dog that was so small that she carried it in her purse.  The dog was a mixed-breed of Pekinese, Pomeranian, and Chihuahua and my mother named it Su-Su. Fully grown, she weighed maybe 7 pounds.  Su-Su was cute, adorable, and [...]

What parent hasn’t dreaded report card time, especially when a child is under-performing?  How do two kids, born of the same genetic material, turn out so differently when it comes to school performance and work ethic?  When is it wrong if the “problem” child gets more attention than the one who gets his work done [...]

Sometimes there are many ideas fighting for attention in my mind, covering all the subjects I tend to write a column about, but each isn’t worthy of its own full-length coverage. Consequently, I collect them.  So, in no particular order, here are my current random musings.
* A great feel-good dad moment [...]

My wife took me to see Nancy Meyers’ new movie, It’s Complicated, which stars Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin.  She had seen it a day or two before and wanted to see it with me saying, “It would be good for us.”  Honestly, I do tend to like what [...]

In every marriage, spouses face an inevitable choice between their children and their spouse. It is a classic dilemma that confronts every couple and one that is inescapable and difficult. It is especially true in second marriages, like mine.  I have to admit, it is an ongoing issue in our home [...]

Sitting in Starbucks the other day, waiting for my car to be serviced, I sat next to a mom who shared a “dirty little parenting secret.” Her kids, and she and her husband, have “favorites.”  She gets along better with their younger child while her husband gets along better with the [...]

Every holiday season brings both wonderful times and challenging family situations for most of us, my family included.  This past season included the first visit to our home of my in-laws, the first time my sons and I would be apart, and the first time my wife and I would be [...]

I hate New Year’s Resolutions. I swore I’d never write one. I misspoke. So, this is going to be a New Year’s Resolutions column, with a twist: it will include both resolutions and wishes. I am going to mix my own personal resolutions and wishes with those I project for others, [...]

Dennis Prager, one of the most influential men in my life, spoke on his talk show recently about the impact of a first year on marriage. He asked if an easy, successful first year or a difficult, hard first year were indicative of the long-term success of the marriage?  He didn’t [...]