Young and old are relative terms. A 55 year-old in a retirement community is young, and a 8 year-old in first grade is old. Certainly there are young parents who had a kid in their teens or early 20’s, and there are old parents who, medically speaking, have “geriatric pregnancies.” Which, if you don’t know,Continue reading “Age Is a Number. Youth Is a Mindset”
Author Archives: Pat Kose
Childhood Movies Are Not The Same as Children’s Movies
There are certain things a parent looks forward to from the moment their kids are born – first steps, first words, first Christmas. A few months ago I crossed one of those moments of my parenting list. I showed my kids Back to the Future for the first time. I loved it. They liked it.Continue reading “Childhood Movies Are Not The Same as Children’s Movies”
Kids Don’t Know Swear Words, They Learn Them
A cool thing for a parent is to see your kid’s grasp of language evolve. From being wobbly little babies who can only ask “up?”, to being people you can have a full conversation with with. They are learning new works, using new words incorrectly, and thinking they are learning new words even though theyContinue reading “Kids Don’t Know Swear Words, They Learn Them”
You Can’t Throw Away a Memory
If you haven’t yet, at some point in life you’ll look around and ask yourself, “How did I get so much stuff?” A trinket here, a souvenir there, a thing you really didn’t have a use for but you never know so you put it down in the basement but never actually touch it orContinue reading “You Can’t Throw Away a Memory”
Playing Catch: A Dad’s Solemn Duty
A lot of parenting is doing things you have to do. Do you want to clean doo doo off your kid’s entire back when their blown out diaper goes up to their shoulder blades? Absolutely not, but you have to, so you do it. Some of it you want to do. Do you really needContinue reading “Playing Catch: A Dad’s Solemn Duty”
Yes, There is a Father’s Day
Not all holidays are the same. I get that. I mean, what did you do for Earth Day this year? Have a big President’s Day party did you? There is a hierarchy for sure, and I know exactly where I rank. At least according to my 6 year-old son. Which is to say, dead-ass last.Continue reading “Yes, There is a Father’s Day”
Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Too Soon
When my wife was pregnant with our oldest daughter, I didn’t handle finding out about the daughterness of the child extremely well. I don’t think I handled it as bad as my wife tells me I did, but it was already not one of my best moments as a father. I was ready to haveContinue reading “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Too Soon”
Trick Your Kids Into Being Kind
Like any good parent, I often bribe my children. Any illusion that I had of my kids behaving just because it is what they should do has long been shattered. I want my kids to be able to go a whole day without one of them making another one of them cry, and they wantContinue reading “Trick Your Kids Into Being Kind”
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”
