Parenting

It’s almost noon. My two youngest boys have just returned home from preschool, where they were quiet and well-behaved. But now they’re back in their comfort zone. They quickly resort…

I’m not too keen on having inedible animals around the house, but my kids have been asking for a dog for years. Each time I’d tell them, “Just wait until…

One of my goals was to own a giant bed like the one R. Kelly rested on while pleading with someone to go “Half On A Baby.” I didn’t quite…

One of my fondest Cleveland memories is going to my neighborhood park. Those of us with hoop dreams would play ball from afternoon to night. You could also find cool…

Is there a normal age for potty training? Probably not. Kids develop at different rates and some may not have the benefit of being co-parented by the omniscient Daniel Tiger.…

Kids are not good people. They yank your limbs to get attention and make a lot of background noise when you’re on an important call with your parole officer. Like…

Yellow Springs is a liberal enclave about an hour away from my new ‘hood in Pickerington, Ohio. Fun fact: At least two great African-Americans have connections to the area: Dave…

Each child is unique and the same can be said of my thoughts when learning of their upcoming arrivals. Our first pregnancy: “Woah! That’s cool. I think we both subconsciously…

Our two oldest boys are enrolled in their new school outside Columbus. So far, so good. The adjustment has been easy. Probably because they’re at the age where they like…

Never use Google Maps to find a national park. We did just that when taking a spur-of-the-moment day trip to San Diego’s Cleveland National Forest and ended up on closed…

It would cost us, a family of five, more than $500 just to get in LEGOLAND California. With $500 I could buy enough LEGO bricks to build a house that…

My wife is a stay-at-home mom to our three boys. The oldest is in full-day kindergarten, so he’s pretty much grown and on his own, except he can’t take himself…

I gifted Amber a Groupon for a session at JCPenney Portrait Studios, and like most Groupons years passed before we tried to use it. It expired, so we bought another:…

Coming into fatherhood I assumed my only baby-related expenses would be diapers and Air Jordans. I was wrong. According to recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I can…

Jesus, son of Barack, once said, “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of crops.” And Lawd knows I have a family of five picky eaters…

My girlfriend, Amber, stood outside the shower, waiting for it to warm, unsure if her water broke or bladder leaked. I brought my finger to her inner thigh and dabbed…

My wife signed us up for a YMCA family membership in hopes of giving the kids something to do besides chase cats around the complex. It’s a pretty good deal…

Larke has strong legs and quick, fat feet. Instead of using them he prefers to lie on the ground and become one with the surface below. During the past week,…

My kids are 5, 3, and 2 and their obsession with Michael Jackson has lasted nearly two years. Funny enough, it started with Bruno Mars. Our oldest, Nile, liked “Uptown…

My wife, Amber, sat on the couch sobbing. I asked her what’s wrong. No response. I figured this was a case of prenatal blues, those far too common occurrences where…