Every year when the holidays roll around I face an internal struggle between capturing the magic of the past and experiencing something fresh. No two Christmases have been exactly alike, but there has been enough of a thematic throughline that my boys have expectations that we do specific activities in a certain order: Thanksgiving, breakfast … Continue reading This year will be different
Thanksgiving week is upon us, and as we prepare our feasts and plan our shopping, the inevitable flood of nostalgia descends, flavoring our post-meal conversations with reminiscence. Always eager to indulge my inclination toward nostalgia, I offer these brief stories of Thanksgivings past to prompt you to remember and share your Thanksgiving memories. Our spread … Continue reading Memorable Thanksgivings
This just in: hurricane season is not over. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean basin lasts from June 1 to November 30. But just when I begin to believe we’ve almost made it through, Southern Living, of all places, robbed me this week of the opportunity … Continue reading Worrycanes
Carla and I are in the stage before the empty nest, whatever that’s called. We’re not quite empty nesters because we still have one at home in high school. We’re more like intermittently semi-occupied nesters. Is that a thing? If not, I’m calling it. We’re ISONs. In this stage, our house can go from empty … Continue reading Full driveway, full house, full heart
Parenting today involves a lot of heavy equipment, evidently. From “helicopter parenting” to “lawnmower parenting” and even “bulldozer parenting,” much has been made on social media, in the press and scholarly journals on the impact on a person’s psychology when parents are too involved in their children’s lives and deny them the opportunity to overcome … Continue reading Letting them figure it out
For 13 to 20 years the cycle of our lives includes going back to school. Whether it was a highly anticipated or traumatic experience doesn’t matter. Back-to-school season imprints so heavily on our psyche that it dominates our thoughts and haunts our dreams even if we aren’t actually the ones going back to school. Then … Continue reading And then there were two
Out of sight is not out of mind when you’re a parent. When your children are toddlers, you develop a sixth sense. You instinctively know that if you don’t see them and it’s quiet, trouble is afoot. I learned this summer that sense stays with you the rest of your life. It is especially acute … Continue reading Unaccompanied minors
It’s been a summer full of drama around our house. And that’s just the way we like it. There once was a time when summer was nothing but sleeping late, snacks, and cartoons for our boys, but since our youngest son, Carlton, was bitten by the acting bug back in 2020, our summer has become … Continue reading Summer of shows
I’m not a big fan of yard sales. I do not rise early on weekends to catch the best ones in the neighborhood. I don’t scan Facebook groups for promotions of upcoming sales near me. I am not excited about the prospects of having to put one on myself. But last weekend shifted my attitude … Continue reading Yard sales
When our boys were younger, the end of the school year used to mean popsicles, trips to the playground, swimming at the neighborhood pool and unstructured play time. This is what summer used to look like for us way back in 2012. I haven’t been nostalgic for those days, but I have noticed just how … Continue reading School’s out for the summer (older kid edition)
New South Essays 