We’re conditioned from kindergarten to anticipate a significant break from industrious activity at the end of the calendar year. I’m sure you remember those halcyon days when playground conversations focused on what you were going to ask Santa to bring you for Christmas, the construction paper Christmas tree crafts, the classroom Christmas party, the church … Continue reading Holiday countdown-itis
This week the Lilburn Wallaces will gather around our dining room table for a feast of turkey, dressing and all the fixins. I have committed to enjoying this day fully because I don’t know if 2023 will be the last time we enjoy our Thanksgiving this way. Traditions have a way of ending unintentionally or … Continue reading When traditions end
Representations of fatherhood abound in popular culture. From Goofball Dad to All-Powerful Patriarch, Nerdy Science Dad to Rugged Outdoorsman Dad and Cool Dad to Uptight Military Dad, the way fathers are depicted can easily devolve into cliche. Of all the father archetypes, I identify most closely with Martyr Dad. That’s my term for the long-suffering … Continue reading Happy Martyr’s Day
It's the end of another school year -- the senior year for my middle son Harris -- and I am once again sitting through awards ceremonies, concerts, performances and graduation events. When not doom scrolling on my phone in the more tedious moments of such rites of passage, I find myself reflecting on what all … Continue reading My greatest achievement in life
This week's "Rethinking" podcast from organizational psychologist Adam Grant prompted us to rethink the choices we've made parenting our three boys. Adam interviewed Dr. Becky Kennedy, who is rapidly becoming the Millennial Generation's answer to Dr. Spock, the noted pediatrician not the Vulcan science officer on "Star Trek." She challenged the notion that parents' job … Continue reading Choices in childrearing
It’s hard to remember what life was like before children. Raising our three boys has taken so much attention and energy that it sometimes feels like Carla and I did not exist as a couple before they came along. The truth is, we dated for eight months before getting engaged, married four months later, and … Continue reading How we decided to have kids (and how many)
For me the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a re-evaluation of life’s big questions. One of my discoveries is how the simple pleasures contribute to my quality of life. Here are the little things that have come to mean a lot to me: Laughter around the table is a simple pleasure that happens frequently when we play … Continue reading Simple pleasures
We have to be careful when we plan something special for our family because if we do it once, the boys will insist on making it a tradition. This is especially true of Christmas. We begin the season by decorating our home the weekend after Thanksgiving, often getting a jump by hauling the bins of … Continue reading Christmas traditions
I’m not sure how it happened, but I have a musical family. Saturday two weeks ago proved it. My oldest son played trumpet in the University of Georgia Redcoat Band in a game against the University of Arkansas. My middle son played trombone in the Parkview High School Marching Band in the Lake Lanier Tournament … Continue reading The music, man
I hate moving. Moving is one of my least favorite activities because when you’re married to Carla, moving means painting. I hate painting. When we first got married we lived in an apartment with vaulted ceilings. Because of her need for color and beauty, she insisted we paint the rooms, forfeiting our security deposit and … Continue reading Four walls and a roof
New South Essays 