The Spitty Thumb
Birds do courtship dances without a single lesson. A spider knows how to spin a web without ever having seen one. In much the same way (except not as nasty as spiders), I believe the Spitty Thumb is an action pattern that’s genetically coded into parents. It has its stimulus. Kids. They’re absolute schmutz and […]
Everyone Is Born Blind
I always noticed that when my sons first started out coloring, whether it was their own mutated blobs, coloring books or plain ol’ restaurant place mats, they’d always use the wackiest shades to color in things and people. What they laid to page was as random as the course taken by a drop of water. […]
PARENT OPERATION (The Game)
Playing this game could seriously teach parents some vital skills in raising their kids. First and foremost: PATIENCE. Followed by the close 2nd: the ability to tolerate sudden startling noises. There’s probably a whole grab bag of other useful parenting traits to be gained or honed in playing this updated version of the classic kids’ […]
Bruce Lee, On Parenting
People think that Bruce Lee’s famous “Be like water” quote was his philosophical view on fighting an opponent. Think again! I propose that he was actually talking about being a parent! Ah HA! Okay, so maybe your mind isn’t blown by this revelation, but it’s got to at least be making funny clanking noises, […]
Kids Are So Gullible
Parents trick their kids from time to time (or all the time), for various reasons. It’s so easy in the early years, they’ll believe anything, really. So much so, it’d really be an oversight for a parent to not deceive their kid somehow. There’re all kinds of ways we pull the wool blankie over their […]
Types of Parent Heart Conditions
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING Becoming a parent or experiencing prolonged exposure to babies and children may cause a variety of pleasurable and undesirable heart episodes. Kids don’t make you feel anything you haven’t felt before. Delude yourself all you want, but they just don’t. However, they can act like emotional lenses, sharpening and intensifying […]
My Top 25 Parental Confessions
Bless me child for I have sinned. It’s been your lifetime since my last confession and I feel like I need to come clean. I have lied to you, stolen your property and coveted your dinner, as well as your youth. I am your father, but I haven’t always been a parent. I used to […]
Parenterms: “Caughter”
Uncontrollable laughter happens often when kids are present. They can be very suddenly entertaining. Sure there’s the “spit take.” We’ve all seen it in movies even if we’ve never done it. Something outlandish is said or something outrageous happens and then someone sprays like a geyser in response. It’s funny but a little unrealistic. Especially […]
Defense Against Misinformed Parenting Advice
When you’re learning to navigate the turbulent waters of new parenthood, you’ll undoubtedly encounter a lot of folks offering what they think are time-tested words of wisdom. Sure, these (usually childless) people mean well, but when caring for your first newborn, these bits of advice often do nothing more than exacerbate your already tense […]
Parentopoly, The Give ‘n’ Give ‘n’ Give Game
It’s likely you’ve played Monopoly before (even if you’ve never finished it), since statistically about 11 out 10 households have had the board game given as a gift one year or another. Parenting can truly seem like a game, too. How many times do you think one parent has said, “Go, it’s your turn!” to […]
