Parenthood, disability, ethics, and the crooked way of grace
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Because He Cleans the Shower Drain: A Father’s Day Tribute

Sometimes I fall into the trap of believing that I already do everything anyway, that the minutiae in my head and the chores that I do on auto-pilot and the ways I most naturally interact with my kids are clearly the only minutiae and chores and intera...

I Have a Kid Hangover (But Manage to Write Anyway)

The past thirteen-plus years for me have been one long exercise in welcoming the messy, noisy, needy people who are my children. They make it hard to get anything much done, especially writing. But without them, I'm not sure I'd have much of value to w...

Instead of Judging Our Fellow Parents, How About Offering Empathy & Respect?

Parents love to judge each other for all kinds of perceived failures. Here are some common ways in which parents judge other parents harshly—and suggestions for replacing judgment with empathy and respect.

Gratitude in an Overscheduled Season

As the school year winds down, my calendar greets me each morning with its list of assemblies and ceremonies and recitals and final thises and thats. Reminders about teacher and coach gifts to be group funded and bought, of summer camp bills to be paid...

Factory Disasters in Bangladesh, Consumerism, and Original Sin

I approach buying clothes for my children with the same compulsive attention to my kids’ individual needs and wants that I bring to Christmas gift buying. Focused attention to my kids’ clothing needs is, for me, as much an embodiment of mat...

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