By Brian R Sorrell
Let’s face it: kids these days have it easy. School used to be harder, we didn’t have big screen televisions and video games, we hunted our own food, cultivated our own crops, wore fig leaves for clothes. Parents sometimes love to compete back and forth in a hyperbolic holier-than-thou tailspin, seemingly unable to recover a… Read more
Recently, I attended a talk by Bob Campbell, one of two Masters of Wine in New Zealand, as part of an ongoing series of talks called “Business On Toast.” I want to get involved in my new local community, Devonport, and learning about the ins and outs of wine tasting at seven o’clock in the morning… Read more
Not every story has a moral; some are just flabbergasting chaos. This is one of those stories. While I was in the shower, Noodle, age three, ran in and grabbed a wad of toilet paper. I asked him what was wrong as he was running out the door. His pants were off. When his pants… Read more
The Indian Runner’s quack is a maniacal laugh. That’s what I thought from a distance, and I followed the cackle to a lean and slender bird who was judged first place in his category. We squeezed by and through gaggles of onlookers angling to get a peek at prize winning poultry. By all accounts, these… Read more
Noodle goes to “school” two mornings a week so that I can focus on important work, like writing blog posts. (More often than not, I can be found tucked in the corner of a café scribbling philosophy, undeterred by the simple fact that philosophy doesn’t sell and that a little cash in hand would be… Read more
Auckland might have a mild climate, but it’s decidedly damp. We moved here from Southern California, which is decidedly dry, and so part of the adjustment to living here has been finding stuff to do with Noodle on damp days. Coming up with indoor fun for kids is not my forté, so I have asked… Read more
My approach to parenting derives from this simple adage: Kids need to learn to work things out. The three principles below are the foundations of my parenting philosophy, which I will call “Laid Back Dadding.” 1. Laid Back Dad lets things take their course. Did Noodle just climb up to the highest tier of the… Read more
If you find yourself in the unenviable position of having a child with a bone infection, otherwise known as “osteomyelitis,” our story might help you. It’s frightening whenever your little one is sick, and something as ominous-sounding as a bone infection is certainly enough to keep you on edge. A few points to start: Noodle was… Read more