I stopped for lunch the other day at a Big Boy restaurant.  As the young greeter took me to my seat, I notice the florescent writing on a white board that announced the day’s luncheon specials.
“Try are Whitefish,” the sign suggested. I noticed the incorrect use of “are” right away. It’s a lot easier for [...]

This morning I jumped in my car, turned on the radio and there it was.  I was immediately injected into your typical morning radio show with two loud, laughing, radio personalities, talking over each other. You know, the kind that plays a tune and a commercial once in a while, but mainly features loud talking [...]

That is the Question.
There has been a lot of flack recently about President Obama’s plan to address the nation’s school children on Tuesday. Many people oppose the idea. Others see no problem with it and even welcome it. But is this really a good idea?
Let’s start with the basics. The President wants to make a [...]

Wilson Mathews has two young sons, age five and seven. Recently, with the boys helping, he constructed a sandbox for the back yard. Before any sand-play took place in the newly constructed area, Mr. Mathews laid out some structure, which he calls healthy limits.
“My main job as a parent is to keep you safe and [...]

You’ve heard this advice before.
In the lawnmower arena it means check your oil before you start mowing the grass or you may end up wrecking a very expensive apparatus.
In the diet field, it means don’t let the fact that you had one ice cream cone lead to a bag of double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts and [...]

We have another month until school starts and I have already over-heard several parents expressing their wish to have their children back in school. They talked about the desire for an end to the moans of boredom and the frequent sibling battles over the computer. These are parents who appeared to long for the time [...]

My nephew’s recent wedding offered my family a mini-vacation to central Wisconsin and more than a glimpse at parenting around the pool.  We split our eleven-hour car ride with an overnight stay on the way to the wedding as well as another one on the way home. This gave us all the chance to enjoy [...]

Recently a young adolescent walked through the mall, boldly displaying the following message on his t-shirt: Allergic to Silence. Accompanying the words on his shirt were pictures of earphones, speakers, and the latest hand-held music producing device.
Allergic to silence, the shirt announced.  Really?
Upon reading this message, questions began to surface in my mind. Was this [...]

I got a shot today. Went to the doctor and took it in the hip, bravely.
Walking out, I joked to the nurse, “Do I get a sticker?” “If you were a big boy,” she quipped.
“What do you have to do to be a big boy?” I inquired. “Not cry,” she answered. “That’s what big boys [...]

Today I heard a harried mother in the frozen food section, whine at her young son, “When are you ever going to learn to stop whining?”
It’s not possible to make up material this good.
Many of the stories I tell and the blogs I write are birthed at Wal-Mart. So, be careful. If you’re out shopping [...]