March 28th, 2023 It’s weird, because yesterday’s school shooting was supposed to be a heavy day for our country, but nearly every day is heavy with the same weight, like a wet blanket at the bottom of a swimming pool, so yesterday was just a normal day. This is our normal. I wrote an essayContinue reading “Maybe I’m Wrong, Part II”
Tag Archives: Parenting
V
December 9th, 2022 You were this close to living in a Dennis-less world. That’s one of the parts of my past we don’t talk much about. I’m not saying it would have been a better place or worse place, but it definitely would have been a different one. Today marks five years since I tookContinue reading “V”
Just Another Day
October 16th, 2022 It’s just another day. It’s football day. My dread is warmer than usual, my anxiety sharper. It’s not just another day. My dad legally divorced the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 over an incident neither he nor millions of other sports fans had any control over. My mom stayed committed to them. ThatContinue reading “Just Another Day”
Amsterdam
October 4th, 2022 I knew very little of what I wanted to be as a dad. My friend Kim and I were talking about our families after work tonight; as a special ed teacher, she encountered countless parents who weren’t sure how to react to their families being “different.” She shared with me a storyContinue reading “Amsterdam”
Trauma Like Candy
August 25th, 2022 When I was growing up, my dad took us camping a lot. That meant a lot of s’mores, mosquito bites, boat rides, sunburns, worms pierced with hooks, hammocks, and campfires. On one particular trip, during elementary school break, I had become fascinated with the fire pit on the grounds. It was madeContinue reading “Trauma Like Candy”
silly
August 15th, 2022 “As for its being silly, I don’t mind that. Sometimes it’s great fun to be silly, like children playing statues and dying of laughter. And sometimes being silly breaks the even pace and lets you get a new start.” – The Winter of Our Discontent Being silly is natural to me, butContinue reading “silly”
wEiRd
July 25th, 2022 I have an obsession with the word “weird.” It’s not one of those inexplicable things. I know why. The ASL sign for the word “weird” is to take the letter W and crawl it across your face horizontally. Go ahead, try it. I’ll wait. You look incredibly silly but I love it.Continue reading “wEiRd”
We Are Not Shields
May 25th, 2022 Let’s give all the children guns. The people who have guns, who love guns, who make money off guns, are absolutely unwilling to do anything about guns, so the only solution I can think of is arming each and every child who has to enter a school building. If you’re thinking, “That’sContinue reading “We Are Not Shields”
Circus Wisdom
January 4th, 2022 When I was teased, or made fun of, or laughed at growing up, my dad would tell me to laugh with them. Or, if I could, laugh at myself before they had the chance. That sentiment is terrible for a child. But it’s advice I take more to heart every day IContinue reading “Circus Wisdom”
The Monster
October 15th, 2021 I wrote this weeks ago, but this has been a difficult one to let go into the world. As of tomorrow, the 16th, my mom has been gone for one whole orbit around the sun. In that year, I’ve told a lot of stories about her and how I feel some daysContinue reading “The Monster”
The Den 