Shouldering the load
His TV is on the fritz. The man reaches under the credenza to unplug the set, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back into the wall. His shoulder warns him not to...
It's chickenpox, run!
Remember when it was impolite to talk politics or religion in mixed company? Today, it feels like that’s changed to health care and food choices. We need...
Everyone needs a Kelly
There are fewer, more pathetic feelings than being so sick you can’t move when your four-year-old daughter calls from her bedroom, “Can somebody...
Birthdays in 'Iceland'
My kids were unusually happy about celebrating my 46th birthday. The delicious, frosted side of me said, “Well, they just want to eat at a restaurant and...
Short stories at midnight
What does pet-sitting have to do with a dramatic fiancee? Well, nothing unless you’re competing in this year’s NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge....
Gillette cutting deep
Is your masculinity so fragile that you feel threatened by a television commercial? Is your sense of manhood so attached to some bygone notion that you threaten...
Teaching kids about money
Our seven-year-old daughter has been a madwoman lately around the house: La-la is cooking, cleaning and helping with her sisters. She ran upstairs yesterday and...
Christmas building blocks
For three days, Jingles the Elf needed a sabbatical from our three daughters. Whining, complaining and fighting were how we prepared for the holidays—and...
Be an angel this Christmas
Jessica walked into our meeting much how a mother bear might have. She seemed to stay close to the wall and near the exit, surveying the small room at the...
Digital-age and DJ dads
The first person who came to mind when I was asked to write about “modern dads” was Jeff Hay. Most of you know him better as DJ Haymaker. My wife...