I just returned from a fascinating cruise to the Far East where I visited eight different countries. As you can imagine, the diversity of cultures, sites, and people was considerable, but the thing that struck me the most was the exceptional work ethic I experienced.

For a variety of reasons, mostly due to labor laws but I also believe due to a diminished American work ethic, the majority of the staff on our cruise ship came from Eastern European, South American, and Asian countries. Their demeanor and good cheer was so …

You had your workout, you ate healthy all day, only to be ruined with those late night munchies while you sit back with your wife and wrestle with the remote control.

After a long day, and the house finally quiet with the kids in bed, these evil evening hours can bring on the snack attack that can make the difference between being a fit or fat father.
From chips, candy to chocolate, whatever junk food you have in the house will eventually being eaten, despite your best efforts. It’s one of the …

Given our busy lives, one-on-one time for our spouses is often difficult to find, but we would all agree that it is a necessary component to keeping a marriage healthy and vital. The same holds true for our relationships with our children, yet too often we are doing things as a family-unit.

I went for a walk with my older son recently and realized that other than time in the car, we were not spending enough one-on-one time together. “My bad,” as the kids say. One of my …

I was walking with a good friend who shared the ongoing problems he and his wife were having with one of their children. It was a serious problem. It was clear, on his face and demeanor, how troubled he was. I know him well and I know he is a good parent, an attentive one, a caring one, and a smart one. Yet, nothing they seem to do is helping with this one particular child, a young adult really, and it was clear that this situation …

The expression, “Bursts of Expression” came from one of my readers, Margaret Light, who wrote to me after reading my column, “Does Being On Time Mean Anything Anymore?” She wrote, “If we want to foster what I call ‘bursts of expression’ (or how a kid communicates via technology) rather than conversation that actually relies on a give and take relationship, then keep nurturing cell phone use. If we want to foster a perception that the world we walk through and live in is the size of a ‘2×2’ phone …