As I begin writing this column, I find it ironic how little I’ve written about conflicts in my home between my wife, my boys, and me over our blended family. My wife “inherited” my two boys and my two dogs when she agreed to marry me. Having not had kids, she never expected to be a step-mom, let alone to two boys living at home full-time.
Oddly enough, I never expected to marry again and certainly if I did, I only expected to marry a divorced mother. So, my …

Why do so many people, especially teenagers, like the scariest horror movies? What happened to wholesome family movies? What happened to actors and characters like Fred MacMurray, Mary Poppins, Lassie, and the good guy being cool? When did Fred become Freddy (from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies)? Or for that matter, what happened to Fred Flintstone and Wilma?
Yes, times have changed, but this is one of those areas that I resist and don’t understand. A good scary movie is one thing, but movies that exist simply to portray …

Every generation seems to have its standards of proper behavior and every generation tends to judge the next generation by their own generation’s standards. How often does a parent say something like, “When I was your age, we never did…” or “If I did that, my parents would…” I found myself doing exactly that when some good friends whom I like very much came over for a visit.
These are long-standing friends so the incidents I’m describing must be understood in that context. While I found certain behavior …

For years as a young fitness fanatic obsessed with bodybuilding and working out, there was one thing that kept baffling me despite all the fitness books and muscle magazines I read.
As a big time sports fan into baseball, basketball and of course as a Canadian, hockey, it amazed me how these athletes could perform at such a high level during the season and train hard in the gym at the same time!
I would read articles or even see TV clips of theses pro athletes training hard in the gym to …

How long does puberty in a boy last? A friend of mine who shall remain anonymous, but I’ll refer to as Max, was talking with me about the question of when we “grow up.” He related his own story which I’ll paraphrase, in which he talked about the moment when he “became a man” to quote him. It was…in his thirties!
The story Max told was that prior to this incident, which he defined as his turning point towards manhood, he had always struggled with standing up for himself. Why …