Transcendental Dad

That afternoon, we don’t walk into the Disco Dance, we strut in like we’re John F-ing Travolta powering down 86th Street. I toss a couple finger guns at some admiring dads who somehow, foolishly, are wearing regular clothes. Little Bean checks in with her peeps and I see her pointing in my direction, obviously showing her friends how Disco awesome her old man is. No one looks as good as us with the possible exception of Mr. O, the school gym instructor who is also subbing as the dance DJ. READ MORE

Right, I understood what she was asking. I understood because I too, at her age, hung this stuff on my wall. She’s been devouring Amulet, a graphic novel series by Kazu Kibuishi that follows the adventures of Emily, a young girl who discovers a sentient amulet in her grandmother’s house. READ MORE

We’ve reached that place in her life where Little Bean has begun to, maybe not wrestle with, but comprehend a bigger picture; a sort of foggy realization that – how do I put this diplomatically – life and humans can be unpleasant.  READ MORE

My daughter’s school has started a new club: cup stacking. Every week, a bunch of kids get together after school in the library for an hour and practice this sport. with Mr. O, the school’s READ MORE

O P I N I O N When I was about nine or ten, not too much older than my daughter, my father brought home a traumatized beagle named Patches.  The dog was a couple READ MORE