My daughter is beautiful. But I wonder if she wants to be. If she liked being beautiful, why did she dress up as a heap of trash for Halloween when she was 11? A “Doctor Who” space alien at 28? Read more.
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.
Found: Big Bucks in My Sock Drawer. Lost: My Mother
I just found four brand new hundred-dollar bills in my sock drawer. Where in the world did that money come from? Read more.
Tinka Falconer: Her Ninety-Three Years
Here’s an obituary for my mother, Tinka Falconer, who died in December. Read more.
A Manners-Challenged Kid Who Became the Apple of His Grandma’s Eye
“Move,” said my 6-year-old son Peter to his grandmother. “I want to get by.” My mother looked up from her book and gave my son a hard look. Read more.
Small Boys: Reading, Writing — And Yucky
Let’s face it. Kids, some kids, naturally love raunchy jokes and faces. There’s one living at my house who loves everything yucky. Read more.
A Case of the Human Condition: When a Six-Year-Old Flies Solo
My mother-in-law was on the phone. Could my 6-year-old son Peter come to Southern California for a week’s visit with her? “A week?” I thought. Could I get along without my little son for a whole week? Read more.
A Child Is Born — And So Is a Grandpa
My friend Jake is a man in his prime. He does triathlons, reads good books, knows all the best hiking trails and drinks nice wines. Jake has never been anybody’s rickety old grandpa — until recently, when Jake’s daughter gave birth to a baby girl. Read more.