And they call Arp by his first name too.  M at age 6, and J at age almost-4 have been calling us by our first names for years now.
It not a big deal in our house, but I’m sometimes caught off guard when other people question it.

Picking the best work experiences I’ve had is easy.  I enjoyed the work at the time and look back fondly on my memories.  It’s the type of experience I hope my children have, at the least.
The first one was easy – I was a camp counselor the summer after I almost graduated (that’s another blog ).  Everyone I knew found this to be hilarious, and some were highly skeptical.  They figured I’d teach the kids to drink & smoke.  (I have to admit that’s partially true as I let …

A while back I alluded to a paper I wrote in high school that I was particularly proud of.  It was THE big high school assignment, an American studies paper counting for grades in both History and English.  For me, it was a no-brainer – I wrote about comic books.
I’d always liked them as a kid and had rediscovered them 2 years earlier.  Things had really changed.  Serious stories and brilliant artwork meant that I blew a lot of cash on comic books every week.  I’d always liked science-fiction (Journey …

I really hope that my kids don’t struggle with employment like I did.  As in doing something fulfilling for an income.  When I look back at my best and worst jobs, it’s obvious now that the fulfillment was directly related to my personality and interests.  Like lots of people, I’ve taken jobs primarily due to the need for income.  Or rather, I wanted to spend money and I didn’t have any.  Most of the jobs I’ve taken fit this category, until I got older and the wanting to spend got …

I’ve managed to let go enough to avoid scrutinizing everything for educational value. But since I’ve let go, I keep noticing things when I watch the kids play.
Yesterday J was rolling a car off a table. I’m sure in my previous frame of mind I would immediately be concerned about the car breaking and the apparent waste of money. Now I just let it go – after all, what’s the point of precipitating a disagreement over $5-10? That’s what it is, when you really think about it.
I then noticed her …