Those four words — “You hurt my feelings” — are my least favorite words to hear from my wife. I’d rather hear, “I love you?” What’s most difficult about those four words is that you can’t deny them. Feelings are feelings and they’re not up for debate. For most men, the ease with which we can incur those four words is a mystery. This applies even in non-marital circumstances, as I will elaborate on later.
I love my wife. But, when she utters those four words, I …

When I was a kid, my birthday excursion each year was a trip to Disneyland. This was back-in-the-day when Disneyland was not only fun, but not overly crowded. It was also when they sold tickets that were labeled “A” through “E,” with the “E-ticket” being for the better rides, like the Matterhorn. The expression “E-ticket Ride” came directly from those early Disneyland tickets. Later, as we all know, Disneyland and all amusement parks switched to a single admission entrance fee.
I couldn’t sleep the night before we …

I’m an avid skier and this past season I took on a role I never expected. I became the “helmet police,” whenever I saw people not wearing a helmet. I did my police work in a polite, respectful manner, but I couldn’t help but get a bit more passionate when I confronted “Parental Hypocrisy” in its finest: with skiing parents and their kids. Parental Hypocrisy is not taught in Parenting Classes or is a recommended Parenting skill or style.
It is amazing to me how many moms and dads …

Technology has me in its grasp. It won’t let go. It’s got me by the proverbial – what do you call those things you juggle? Is this “Computer addiction?” I didn’t realize that I was its victim until I reflected on my growing use and, yes, dependence on “My Tech!” But, saying I’m its “victim” is a large exaggeration since I’m really its beneficiary and it has changed my life, mostly for the better. My second career is a total result of the opportunities that modern technology and “Social …

Let’s call it “Dramatic license,” as I totally adore my family and wouldn’t trade them or my life with anyone else, but at this moment, time, and place, I don’t like them very much.  Just as movies often put up a title card that says, “Based On a True Story,” and we know the filmmakers may be playing loose with the facts, so it is with this column.  Sibling rivalry is prevalent but, it’s my “dirty little parenting secret” that not only do siblings fight but parents occasionally just don’t …