You cannot bear your children’s burdens for them. On Wednesday, our 12-year-old son, Barron, began a two-year journey with orthodontia. My wife and I can commiserate, but we cannot take away the discomfort and self-consciousness. As one of my former editors used to say, it’s his bear to cross. By the grace of God and … Continue reading Bracing
Tag: family
My little brother the leprechaun
Tomorrow is March 17, a date that looms large for my family. No, we’re not Irish. Well, we're a little Irish, but not THAT Irish. You see, 39 years ago on St. Patrick’s Day, my little red-headed brother was born. He would end up being my first little brother, but none of us knew that … Continue reading My little brother the leprechaun
The Yahoo Policy
Once upon a time there was a place people went in order to complete tasks and earn a paycheck. This place was called an office. About the time commutes, family needs and office culture conspired to nearly eliminate productivity 10 or more years ago, companies began letting their employees telecommute or work from home. The … Continue reading The Yahoo Policy
More than a day
It wasn’t that long ago that a birthday was just that – a day. In the New South, however, we celebrate a person’s birthday for many, many days. I have a theory about why this is: It takes us longer to celebrate birthdays now because of geographic dispersion of family, over-stuffed schedules and the vicious … Continue reading More than a day
Absolute power
Every January since 2008, I have been participating in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, a diabolical scheme in which a young boy and his dad are supposed to transform a 1.25-by-1.75-by- 7-inch block of wood into a 5-ounce vehicle capable of speeds up to 140 miles per hour. If you are an engineer or a … Continue reading Absolute power
Here’s to you, January birthday person
Conventional wisdom is that folks with December birthdays have it the worst. Their special day gets lost in the run up to Christmas, and those with Dec. 25-31 birthdays are completely overshadowed. I think we have a contender for most under-appreciated birthday month people: that would be the January folks. After looking at our calendar for the … Continue reading Here’s to you, January birthday person
The gift of a time machine
Programming note: For nearly two years, New South Essays has been published on Friday mornings. Because of my job change, I’m finding that Saturdays are working better. I hope you’ll stick with me as I move to Saturdays. To ensure that you never miss a weekly post, click the email subscription link on the right. … Continue reading The gift of a time machine
Orlando beckons
In less than an hour on Interstate 75 the week after Christmas and it becomes abundantly clear that the entire population of the Eastern and Midwestern United States along with a great portion of Canada is heading to Central Florida. The mass migration is led by the exodus of Atlantans, fleeing the onset of a … Continue reading Orlando beckons
An unexpected journey
When Barron and Harris piled into the back of the new Hyundai, eager to ride with Daddy after another great meal at Los Hermanos, they had no idea we weren’t following Carla home. We had already had a pretty good day. It was one of those rare days when Carla and Carlton still had preschool, … Continue reading An unexpected journey
The faces of children
Numbed by the senseless killing of 20 children yesterday in Connecticut, I went back to the drawing board for this week's post. No topic merits discussion more than the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Like a lot of people, I experienced deep and complicated emotions when I first heard the news. Two of my own three children … Continue reading The faces of children
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