My Ever-Changing Family

Our family shrinks and grows. People die. People get born. People get mad and won't talk to you for a while. Kids grow up and find partners of their own, and pretty soon there are brand-new in-laws. And a grandchild or two.

I’m Thankful For a Clean Oven, Fresh Ice Cubes . . . and a Daughter-in-Law-to-Be

November 21, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

What I’m grateful for, what I’m jazzed and excited about today, are the small things that have gone right for me lately: A clean oven, freshly washed windows, and a new steppingstone path for the garden — all in time for Thanksgiving. See more.

Will Our Kids Grow Up to Be Cheaters Like Lance Armstrong?

October 20, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

Will my kids grow up to be cheaters? Is it possible to raise honest children in this Pete Rose-Bernie Madoff world — where something like 50 percent of students admit to cheating? Read More

When Your Kids Don’t Fight — Enough

October 6, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

My children do not tease each other like the normal sibling pair. They are nice to each other. I worry. Where did Jon and I go wrong?

A Case of the Human Condition: Am I Scotch?* Or Midwestern?

August 27, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Genealogically speaking, I’m not that far removed from Scotland. My father’s father was born near Glasgow. But the complex – presumably – set of beliefs and customs he and his parents brought with them to the shores of Lake Michigan in 1873 are lost to me now. Tartans have given way to Levi’s. Haggis has succumbed to pizza and Chinese take-out. When I think about where I come from, I do not think of Scotland. I think of Michigan. Read More.