By Michael Marketing a book of life lessons takes you to all kinds of websites; none of which can compare to this one, of course. Recently, I ran into a troubling conversation that merits our consideration here. The topic was forcing your children into situations where they are certain to fail. The idea, as I…
Author Archives: MichaelR
No More Opinions
By Michael When the girls were younger, I told them they could be anything they wanted to be in life. They decided they wanted to be themselves. And so, when I pointed out that Susan Brooke Rosenbaum was a great name for a Supreme Court justice, Susan would cry, because, “I don’t want to be…
And In the Spring, the Babies Bloomed
By Michael The (Idunno) trees by the deck were flowering last week in an explosion of fluff that startled and enlivened as I stood in the kitchen, yelling “faster, faster” at the caffeine machine. This week, the blossoms are gone. The leaves will be a dull green until just before November, when they’ll change to…
Where the Boys Are
By Michael Last week, I attended a bris, the 3,500+ year-old rite of circumcision that connects every newborn Jewish male to hundreds of generations that preceded him. It’s a bit unnatural to see a friend’s kitchen transformed into an operating room, but there’s also great comfort in considering the unbroken line of families that have…
The Road to Ruin Has Great Coverage
By Michael There’s this ad on television that’s driving me crazy right now. A mom and her daughter are at the mall. Okay, I only have one X, so I never quite get it when a mother and daughter in some ad are at the mall, smiling and giggling like they’re just about to collect…
Who’s a cutie wootie smootiekins? You Are.
By Michael So this old lady with a face like a road map is heading out of the restaurant when she spots the baby. Not her baby, of course, or even her grandchild. Some stranger’s baby, as best I can tell. But that doesn’t matter. She can’t resist. Suddenly, she’s leaning over the table and…
Not in Our Family, We Don’t!!
By Michael Don’t you wish there were secret words you could use to get your children to wake up and smell the coffee, or at least notice the crayons that need to be picked up off the carpet? Wish no more, for I am about to impart to you a sentence that changed my girls’…
Real Men Use Plungers
By Michael Today, I took Jill to Home Depot to get stuff I needed for a few projects I’ve been meaning to get to, fulfilling my manly duties and showing her my version of the Nordstrom Sale. (Except, of course, that my purchases are much more practical and essential to our existence, unlike shoes and…
Why is She the Favorite?
By Michael We have a simple rule in our family: No jealousy. Period. End of Discussion. No, not the end of the discussion, because there isn’t even going to be a discussion. No jealousy. We won’t treat you identically, but we’ll treat you equally. It will be the same, only different, because you are different…
If Only I Could Go Back in Time…
By Michael I had some time on my hands last week, so I stopped in at the library, pulled a book off the shelf and read it. The book was written by a man with regrets, who wished his life had been different as he was growing up. He made arrangements to go back to…