Juggling time and responsibilities is a part of parenthood.That’s something I never gave much thought to before having children. However, it’s now just a way of life that comes with the journey.That’s what I was thinking when I got up at 4 in the morning yesterday to write this column. My week had been so… Read more »

I have learned a lot being a parent to a special needs child over the last eight years. Here are a few things:•It’s okay to have different expectations for your children.Even in normal households, I believe this to be true because each child requires a unique approach.In our world, our expectations for our children vary… Read more »

(Editor’s Note: The following is a reprint from 2012 as the writer is on vacation this week.)Driving around with the kids can be quite entertaining these days, due largely to the element of surprise that’s always looming.What’s great is most of the time the kids are laughing at each other and that’s never a bad… Read more »

Beckett wants to enjoy watching football games with me.However, the reality is he can’t sit through more than a few commercial breaks before he’s off to do something else. It’s just not exciting enough for him.He likes the idea of watching the game with his dad but he gets bored pretty quickly. When he gets… Read more »

There have been several instances of late that confirm I’m an enabler.Without question, and I know Pam would agree, I tend to baby the kids more than her. In my defense, and this may sound strange because it takes more effort on my part, the easier track to take at times is to just do… Read more »

In some ways, Carson is more outgoing than Beckett.Considering Beckett is a self-proclaimed and enthusiastic “lover of talking” and Carson is non-verbal, this is fascinating to me.For many years, I always thought of Beckett, 9, as the extrovert and Carson, 8, as the introvert. That’s still the case, in some ways, but there are times… Read more »

My kids have grown into perfect little travelers.Over the last couple months, we have taken several road trips, including central Pennsylvania for a soccer tournament and a visit to the Strausburg Railroad; two excursions to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg; multiple doctor’s appointments in Wilmington, Del.; and, most recently, a New Year’s jaunt to Sullivan’s Island,… Read more »

Nothing beats Christmas morning with young kids.However, before we could enjoy it, we had to make sure both kids were asleep at a reasonable time Christmas Eve night. We were concerned because both boys had been staying up later recently since there was no school.Around 9 p.m. after already falling asleep in his bed, we… Read more »

Like most families, photos with Santa are a must each Christmas for us.A faithful reader of this column recently wrote me to ask if I would consider putting a picture of my kids in this space each week so she and others could put their faces with the names.While I’m not entirely comfortable with doing… Read more »

We have two Christmas trees each year.One is a traditional one with all the ornaments we have bought over the years or were handed down from family, while the other we call the kid tree that consists of almost all of their handmade ornaments, photos and some Maryland blue crab shells painted by Pam.Because Pam… Read more »