Family

Charlie’s tummy was not feeling so good earlier this week. He looked into my eyes and said: “Dad… diarrhea is the worst.” Then he paused for a moment, looked down at his feet, and then returned his gaze to me and added, “Though I have to say, the Black Death is actually worse.”  To his…

The children are trying to argue with me that they are no longer little. “We’re big kids now!” Charlie said. I insisted that they are still little. “Look at you,” I said. “You’re short and tiny. I can still pick you up!” Clara’s response: “When I refer to myself as big, Daddy, I’m speaking in…

Yesterday Elysha and I gave Clara several birthday presents. Books, accessories for her American Girl doll, and a canopy to create a book nook in her bedroom. Happily, Elysha was in charge of choosing the gifts and ran the choices by me only after her selections were made. She knows that if I was in…

I’m telling Charlie about mine and Elysha’s first kiss when I see him grimace. “Don’t worry,” I say. “You don’t need to kiss anyone unless you want to, and besides, you’re way too young to be kissing someone anyway.” “Dad,” he says, sounding exasperated. “I’m old enough to kiss girls. I could kiss girls if…

Clara, age 9, came down stairs on Saturday morning, popped open her Chromebook, and started pecking away. I waited a few minutes, but when she failed to acknowledge my existence, I finally asked what she was doing. “Just doing a little research on tsunamis.” “Oh,” I said. “You woke up thinking about tidal waves?” “Yes,…

Behold! Charlie’s (age 6) interpretation of the life cycle of a human being from the womb to the grave. The beginning stages and the ending stages are especially interesting.