More Family Stories
- My daughter's homemade puppet show for the family used socks, buttons, and a plot that involved a surprising amount of political intrigue for something performed entirely by an eight-year-old before bedtime.
- Last Father's Day my kids surprised me with breakfast in bed. It was cereal, served dry, in an actual bed — mine. Turns out 'breakfast in bed' was taken very literally, and I found Cheerios in my sheets for a week. Ten out of ten, would recommend.
- I told my kids we were 'going on an adventure' instead of 'doing yard work' and got surprisingly good cooperation for two hours. I'm not proud of how well it worked. I'm already planning to rebrand 'cleaning your room' as 'a quest' next weekend.
- I spent twenty minutes explaining to my daughter why we don't just 'print more money' to solve our problems. She listened carefully, nodded, and asked if we could at least print some for her. I don't think the lesson landed.
- I once told my barber 'surprise me' and immediately regretted every life choice that led to that sentence. He did not disappoint. Or rather, he disappointed enormously, with real commitment and technical precision.
- I told my son I'd help with his science project, no problem. Four hours later we'd built a working volcano, ruined a baking tray, and I still couldn't explain what a chemical reaction actually was. He got an A. I got a lifetime ban from the kitchen.