The concept of the genetically engineered “designer baby” has been in the news lately. Somehow it came up at dinner, and I asked the kids what they thought of the idea that parents could choose what kind of qualities their children would have before they were born. Megan reacted immediately: “They shouldn’t be able to [...]

After Megan got lice last spring, I wrote a tounge and cheek list called "Ten Things I've Learned About Head Lice" which is now available online. Hope you don't need this advice, but feel free to forward it to someone who does.

I fear Megan is the kind of person who assumes that the glass is half empty. She also tends to believe that her brother’s glass is half full and responds with a high-pitched, “No fair!” to anything good that comes his way. Yesterday morning, when he sleepily rolled out of bed and staggered into my [...]

It’s Thursday, and I haven’t written all week because my mother has needed more help. It’s hard to watch her getting weaker while still clinging to her independence the way she clings to the refrigerator edge when walking in the kitchen. It’s also hard to know what to do when she is being stubborn about [...]

In addition to Batman, I also struggle with birthday parties. Megan brought hers up this morning, although she won’t be nine for two more months. On the way to school, she announced that she wants to have her party at an ice skating rink and that parents can leave if they want or they can [...]

One night at bedtime Luke prayed to “stop thinking about that thing I’m thinking about.” I asked if he wanted to share what was on his mind, but he said no. The next night he prayed again, “Don’t let me think about that thing I was thinking about last night.” Eventually I pried out his [...]

The other day my eighty-two year old mother remarked that she’d never had anything to look forward to in her life, “just wash, iron, cook, and clean.” It made me sad to hear her look back on her life that way, but it also made me think about my own life and what gives it [...]

“Was God ever a baby?” asked Luke at dinner last night.Before either Tom or I could answer, Megan said, “I think that when God was a baby, the world was a baby.”“And when He was a teenager,” added Luke, “there were dinasoars.”“Don’t say, ‘He,’” corrected Megan. “Who says God is a ‘He?’”“OK,” said Luke, “He [...]

I had to turn on the car defroster this morning, there was so much steam coming out of my ears on the way to school. I don’t know why running late bothers me so much. I guess it’s the feeling of not being in control. I should know by now that I can’t control how [...]

This morning Luke got up around 6:30 and begged to watch a video before his sister awoke even though we have a no-TV-on-school-mornings rule. I told him to wait until tomorrow (Saturday), which was like telling him to wait till the cows come home—tomorrow seems that remote to him. Yesterday was even worse. He was [...]