My brother grabbed the chrome knob of our Buick’s radio and cranked it up, hoping Mom wouldn’t complain. From the back seat, I could hear the grinding voice of Ted Nugent and see my brother’s elbow jerk to the rhythm of his air guitar. “I just don’t get it,” Mom piped up over the screeching…
parenting
Nuggets of Truth
“What’s for dinner, Mom?” my famished kids inquire every afternoon when I pick them up from school. Despite the made-to-order lunches I pack for them, my kids come out of school as if they just crossed the Sahara Desert, and I’m under pressure to produce a big evening meal to satisfy our entire family of…
Feel it in your rear
“God help us all,” is often muttered in response to news that a teenager has begun driving. Other responses include, “Run for your lives!” “Hit the dirt!” and phrases implying apocalyptic events. We all universally recognize that teenagers don’t know much about life, and that placing one in control of a one-ton combustion engine with…
Beyond the Whipping Post: Thoughts of a conference newbie
It feels good to leave the grit and hustle of the city behind. A fish out of water in the sprawl of streets, strip malls, and strip joints; I’m glad to get a break from city life during my drive to Macon, Georgia for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ Conference. As I put miles…
What I believe about Hell and hand baskets