Keep the Jew Away From the Fire

I’ve decided to share  a post from my website, theodoreross.net, which I thought fit here because it is childhood related., it also happens to be something that I cut from my book. Online literary outtakes, ladies and gentlemen–read it here first: I think about this often, whenever I need a reminder of my futility as …

Bike Accidents Could Be Contagious

I’ve moved beyond the morbid depression phase of my bike accident, thankfully, and am now ready to consider with detachment similar misfortune that hasn’t touched me. Not long after I returned home from the hospital I took JP to a birthday party. One of the other fathers there asked what had happened to me (my …

The Tantrum: Should Young Men Be Permitted to Breed?

(This is the Tantrum, in which Dadwagon’s writers debate one question over the course of a week. For previous Tantrums, click here.) As the elder statesmen of the DadWagon fathers (I’m 60), the first installment of this Tantrum fell to me. It’s a simple question, one that seems to be of increasing relevance to people …

Hobbit Versus Harry: Who Will Triumph?

So JP’s reading, as I’ve noted here before, continues to improve as he approaches six years old. This leads to interesting opportunities, not just for his own reading, but for what I might choose to read to him. One of my fondest memories from childhood was my father reading The Hobbit to me and my …