Yesterday, my wife my told me that my boys need to wrestle. They are not 2 and 7, they are 14 and 19. She knew I was uptight and my sons were feeling it. I resisted but my sons did not. StrongCollegeKid tried to take on the old man and I set out to hurt him. I did, and we both felt better. I didn’t maim him. Just gave him some physical engagement, let him know that I am just an uptight old man and do not disapprove of him or his little brother. I am just cranky and I still got it. I used the hair pull, the finger poke to the ribs, and a fat thumb to the back of the jaw. They all can bring a big nineteen old year old to his knees. Oh, yeah, there was a leg lock and a head lock too. Nobody won anything except my kid knew enough to know that I would risk a little for him, he had what it took to cause the old man some pain, and he and I were the same now as we were when he was my only kid. Now he has a full college schedule, and I have a full schedule of paying for college. But from time to time, we get to wrestle a little bit and re-connect. One of these days we will no longer wrestle but we will try to outwork the other, out-fish the other, or out-give one another. The battle is eternal.

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Every New Year’s Eve I celebrate a wedding anniversary. On some years my wife celebrates being married to me, some years she is not so celebratory. I am pretty sure that some years have been the equivalent to celebrating a year of canker sores for her. But for this year, she found reason to celebrate. It has been two decades and two years of marriage for us and I am a lucky man.

It hit me today, (I think from a Twitter post from @Genuine) that we were, in fact,  entering a new decade. I had not thought about that at all. I remember watching the New Year festivities on television in 2000 and that memory is one way that I remember where I was in at the beginning of the new decade/millenium. Read the rest of this entry »

As our family prepares for Christmas, I sit in an office that needs some attention as my beautiful wife and my two teen sons and one of their good friends all sleep into the morning. Christmas break means sleep for teachers and teenagers.

I am not different than most in that I begin to reflect on the year behind me and the year approaching and as a dad, it makes me think of several different things. Our business was good and we saw good things happen. Due to budget cuts in schools we are in fewer schools but I have regained some time with my family and a little more sanity. I have a son in college and a son in high school. No more little ones, not even 8th grade little ones. They are growing (and eating). We have seen tremendous change this year with a child that left the nest, a child making the transition into high school and a mom who went from teaching 1st grade to 8th grade (the quantum leap of education). As well, we have needed to step up and support our family who now has a member who is incarcerated. A mom who will spend the next two Christmas days not being able to see her children open gifts. Read the rest of this entry »