A recent George Will column, “Lost In Electronica” (http://ow.ly/2ve0l), started me thinking about how often kids says they’re bored. “Are you kidding me,” said in my best Robert DeNiro accent! If anything, I find there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to begin to do all that I want to do.
But, it’s evidently a fact that many in this current generation are often bored, even with all that is available at their fingertips. Of course, every child doesn’t have access to all our current …

I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that transcends all religions, all cultures, and all ethnicities. It’s about the basic notion of “giving thanks” and it’s really become a holiday that everyone loves.
First, there’s the food. Second, there’s the food. Did I mention the food? How about the turkey? The yams? The stuffing? And, my favorite: pumpkin pie. Ahhhh. Need I say more?
I believe that gratitude is the major ingredient to happiness, and I learned this from Dennis Prager, the talk-show host, …

All parents hope to nurture their kid’s talents, but usually they hope it’s a talent they share or one they’d always dreamed of for themselves. This is often a first test for a parent. It sure was for me. I expected with two boys, I’d be coaching them in all the intricacies of every sport I loved. Instead, with my oldest, I was left coaching the baseball team after he quit it.
Fortunately, I began supporting their passions, their loves, and it provided equal joy for me, …

Why does it often take a personal experience, of the same sort, to have genuine empathy for others who have similar troubles? Like the couple that can’t conceive children but certainly understands the emotions others feel in their situation. Or, the crime victim who completely understands the pain and suffering that another victim feels. But, with the weight-challenged (e.g people dealing with being overweight), much of society has little sympathy. Including me–until recently.
I’m a man in my fifties, who had been blessed with a high …

No, I’m not writing about my wife talking back to me, but rather giving her a chance to speak her mind after all these columns in which I’ve spoken for her. To be fair (to me), I always run any column about her, by her, before publication. That doesn’t mean I make any changes, but at least she has seen it. Just kidding. I do make changes she requests. But, what I don’t do is “change” my behavior as much as she’d like. So, …

Do you have a best friend? I’ve grown apart from my closest friend while, at the same time, renewed contact with my oldest friend (since age 4 or 5). I believe it’s an important ingredient in having a balanced social life, whether you’re single or married. Some people think that their spouse should be their best friend. I don’t.
My history of friendship has always included having a best friend–a guy, though I had many close female friends later in my life Having opposite …

My “A Dad’s Point-of-View” column is carried all over the world and one of the wonderful peripheral benefits I receive is “virtually” meeting so many wonderful editors, publishers, and web-masters. One of them is Jennifer Jurgens, the news director/executive assistant, at wyomingnetwork.com. They have 17 community websites across Wyoming. She is also a wonderful and involved mom. Recently, she wrote to me asking some questions that related to her daughter beginning middle school. Well, to be more accurate, she was suggesting that these questions (a.k.a. issues) could …

To some degree, everyone lives vicariously through his or her kids. The question however is a matter of degree–how much? It’s normal to want the best for our kids, but when we project our own failed opportunities or fantasies, we may be crossing an inappropriate line.
That was happening to me when my son’s musical ability blossomed and I was that parent beaming while I taped every performance of his. Then, when he got his 15-minutes of fame and jammed with his rock ‘n’ roll idol, Chris …

Do you remember the old phrases, “He is as good as his word,” or “My word is my bond,” or “A handshake is all I need (in the way of a deal)?” Do you remember when we didn’t think lawyers were the first people we had to call before we made a deal? Do you remember when a contract was just a page or two? Do you remember when your friends returned your phone calls promptly and a RSVP meant something?
What happened? What happened to someone following …

Respect. Isn’t that really all parents want from their kids? Isn’t it about the hardest thing to actually teach them to do–treat us with respect? I struggle with this a great deal due to the way my two teenage boys sometimes speak to me, respond to a request, and generally behave. It is not with much respect, at times, and I don’t like it.
Aretha had the biggest hit with her rendition of “Respect” though it was originally performed by Otis Redding in 1965 (here’s a …