Category: Family
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Playground adventures anew
The playground at the park near my parents’ house is getting renovated, which means the place as I knew it from ages 11-18 will be no more. I’m glad for the memories I have from there, many of which are shared with my childhood best friend, Tim, who also lived a block away from the […]
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The best parenting advice I’ve ever gotten
The best parenting advice I’ve ever gotten was from my own parent. Per my mom: When in doubt, lower your expectations. Runner-up is from my other parent. Per my dad: Kids spell love T-I-M-E.
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Connect 4 with a 3 year old
Things my 3 year old did while he and I played Connect 4: Said “I block you!” after each time he inserted a disc, even when he didn’t block me Inserted discs pell-mell with the goal of filling the entire board Inserted discs using his toes Things he didn’t do: Attempt to connect 4
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Into his great daily unknown
We celebrated Little Man’s third birthday this week (well, fourth if you count his actual day of birth). While looking through my photos of him I noticed a motif of capturing him from behind as he ventures forth at varying speeds. I like this vantage point for a few reasons. Since we don’t post his […]
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Draw it, erase it
My wife found a kid-sized easel on post-Christmas super sale that’s whiteboard on one side and chalkboard on the other, and so far it’s been Mr. Almost 3’s go-to activity. Fortuitously, and perhaps relatedly, his drawing skills have evolved just enough to be able to depict some basic body-like shapes and eyes: Though they look […]
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Moon moon moon, shining bright
I was playing soccer on the front lawn this evening with Mr. Two Years Old when the moon, waxing crescent, caught his curious eye in the encroaching darkness. I asked him if he knew why the moon glowed. We’ve read books about it before, but he said he didn’t. I explained in the simplest language […]
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At the age you are
“I love you at the age you are, and every year you grow / into more the special someone I forever want to know.” — I Love You All Ways by Marianne Richmond I love that line (from a board book that’s in his regular rotation) because it reminds me not to focus on hitting […]
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Hope to love you long
In his post on the emotional intelligence of long experience, Alan Jacobs spotlights a letter from the great 18th century writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson to his younger friend, who at one point thought he had said something to offend Johnson: You are not to imagine that my friendship is light enough to be blown […]
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Hand in hand
Did some hand tracing with Mr. 21 Months, which reminded me of a picture I took of us last year while on a walk. Using a crayon made our hands look chunkier than they really are, but little man’s hand in the picture was just as chunky as it looks.
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A cheerful failure
For Filmspotting’s latest poll, they ask which of the provided movie failures you are the biggest cheerleader for. The criteria: “These are movie ‘failures’ that paired well-respected, ‘auteurist’ filmmakers with existing properties—and high expectations—resulting in significant disappointments critically and (usually) at the box office.” Check out the poll for all the options. I’ve only actually […]