Pat Kose

A Dad’s Letters from Hawaii

Travel has always been an inspiration for writing. I recently took a trip to Hawaii, and I’ve collected my daily thoughts here. While stopping in various gift shops, I noticed that Mark Twain also chronicled his own trip to Hawaii. I’m not saying I’m similar to Twain, though we can both totally pull off aContinue reading “A Dad’s Letters from Hawaii”

The Impression That I Give

There are some pretty high stress moments you experience as a parent. Starting with having the kid in the first place, and on to first days of school, first trips to urgent care, and the ever present helping with math homework – there is almost always something your kids are doing to add at leastContinue reading “The Impression That I Give”

How My Kids Play: It’s All Pretend

My kids love to play together. For the most part. Does a single day go by without somebody getting upset over what or how they are playing? No. But a day also never goes by without them coming right back to it. And they do come right back to it. Almost like a language ofContinue reading “How My Kids Play: It’s All Pretend”

My Daughters are Liars

Watching your kids grow up is a crazy thing. You’re the one raising them, you see them every day, and in theory you know them better than anyone in the world. Yet somehow you still learn new things about them all the time. For example, I recently learned my daughters were filthy liars. Kids lie.Continue reading “My Daughters are Liars”

Second Grade Wisdom: What We Can Learn from Kids

It is no secret that one of the great causes of divide in our times (and probably all of time) is that every one is completely certain they are right. Their point of view is the correct one. Their sources of information are the truth. Their pizza toppings are correct and you can take yourContinue reading “Second Grade Wisdom: What We Can Learn from Kids”

My Son is Scared of Donald Trump

My kids are listening. I don’t mean specifically to me, that would be ridiculous. How would the dishwasher get emptied if I didn’t have to remind them five times? I mean in the sense that they are constantly taking in information, some of it intentionally given to them, and some of it they are justContinue reading “My Son is Scared of Donald Trump”

My Kids Don’t Know How to Watch TV

Advancements in technology are, for the most part, great. Take what I am doing right now for example. I’m sitting in a coffee shop using free internet that somehow is beaming its way to my computer. Full transparency, I have no idea how WiFi actually works or what the hell the difference is between anyContinue reading “My Kids Don’t Know How to Watch TV”

Teaching Kids How to Say I’m Sorry

A good apology goes a long way. A bad apology is worse than none at all. An apology from my children is essentially none at all. My kids are terrible at saying they are sorry. An apology from them falls into one of three categories – forced, insincere, or forced and insincere. For young kids,Continue reading “Teaching Kids How to Say I’m Sorry”

I Left My Kids. It Was Nice.

Today I abandoned my children. It felt good. I thought I would feel more anxious or guilty about it, but I was really fine with it. And so were they. It was actually their idea. It is a fine balance to strike between giving your kids what they want and what they need. Usually theyContinue reading “I Left My Kids. It Was Nice.”

A Calendar Never Forgets

There are some things that I’ll never forget – birthdays, home run totals, movie quotes. On the flip side, there are some things I can never remember – passwords, when was the time I changed the furnace filter, what my wife said is for dinner tomorrow. Generally, I tend to remember the stuff that isContinue reading “A Calendar Never Forgets”