I Am Not Yet a Wuss, But I Will Be Soon

Yesterday, the Internet was all a-flutter over the news that 25 percent of grown-ass men travel with stuffed animals. Maybe “all a-flutter” is overstating it, but one or two “news” “outlets” covered the Travelodge survey: Travelodge said that 25 percent of men reported they take their teddy bear away with them when going away on …

My First Huge Failure as a Parent

Speaking of solipsistic television personalities, I have a confession to make: My daughter, Sasha, despite all my efforts to keep her unaware of his existence, has fallen in love with Elmo. This actually began several months ago. We’d be walking down a street and pass a toy store, and she’d see him in the window, …

What Stupid Kind of Parent Are You?

Just yesterday, you were at the playground, chasing little Ayden as he bolted around the jungle gym, keeping a hand outstretched in case he might stumble and fall. Or maybe you were at a middle-school PTA meeting, cowing the other moms and dads into submitting to your field-trip theories. Or perhaps you were at the …

What Almost Made Me Cry Today: A Milestone

It’s funny how extremely subtle changes in your kid grab your attention. For instance: Little kids cry all the time. Sometimes for good reason, sometimes for no discernible reason at all. But what’s in a cry? Anyway, when I got Sasha up this morning, she was weepy, crying as I changed her diaper, saying “I …