I’m not prone to displays of emotion—public or private—which is why I was surprised to find myself welling up with tears at Target the other day. It wasn’t the diversity of 99 cent knickknacks or the intoxicating smell of buttered popcorn that got me going. No, it was that song. The pink elephant on the […]
Life and Parenting
The Meaning of Life
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche The year is 2078, and I am in a haze of morphine, barely conscious. In the next few hours, my brain activity will cease and my heart will stop—I will die. Bummer. When I imagine my own death, it puts my […]
The Unhappy Pursuit of Happiness
I am on a walk. It’s a beautiful, sunny day and I happen upon a field of glorious wildflowers! The intoxicating smell of the nice-smelling flowers (I don’t know flower names) fills my nose, and makes me happy. My family is with me on this walk. We are on vacation in a warm, sunny place, and […]
To My Friends Without Children
Dear Friends, I have not seen many of you in quite some time. It’s not because I don’t want to, or I don’t enjoy your company. I have two children. If you had children too, you would fully understand, and nod your head with a grimace and a knowing smile. But you don’t, so I owe […]
Should I Intentionally Change My Personality?
“That guy is an asshole.” We all know that guy. Maybe he is a friend from high school. Maybe he is your older brother. Maybe he is you. That guy has been an asshole all his adult life. He never changes. But then, one day, he does. You meet him in the K-mart parking lot, […]
What Is Your Well-Being Index?
I am awake with the possums and raccoons this week for my periodic week of night shift. Removed from the chaos of a house with young children, and from the daylight, my hospital office is quiet, dark, and deep. These weeks are disruptive, not only to my circadian rhythm, but also to my whole family’s schedule. […]
Life Lessons From My 4-month-old
Adult life is complicated and sometimes crappy. In the Curious household, we have hit one of life’s inevitable rough patches over the last few weeks. Nothing too serious, and first-world problems for the most part, but still enough to cause significant stress, exhaustion, and a few tears in both children and adults. Life is much […]
The Joy of Opting Out
During my Little League years, I was weirdly thrilled when inclement weather cancelled practice. Admittedly, I didn’t like baseball very much and my coach was kind of a dick. But the real source of excitement was my newfound freedom go home from school, hang out with my friends, and do whatever I pleased. I had […]
Stop Thinking
For those who have not experienced the thousand joys of parenthood, allow me to enlighten you about one of them: a toddler’s trip to the dentist. The night before this was to occur, we noticed our little angel was a bit crankier than usual, and by morning it was clear he was coming down with […]
Why I Hired a Nanny
Let’s start with some word association. Nanny. What is the first thought that pops into your mind? Do you picture Mary Poppins or Maria from The Sound of Music (I guess Julie Andrews plays a good nanny)? If you were raised in a lower or middle class family (like I was), do you dismiss nannies as […]
Confessions of a Former Racist
[Recent events in our nation have brought discussions of race to the forefront, and I feel compelled to share my own experiences with racism. I do not write without trepidation; apart from my wife, I have never discussed these issues with anyone. Some of you will be disheartened or even disgusted by parts of this […]
Parenting 201: Ignore or Intervene
I am on vacation this week in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania, famous as the location of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. It’s a quiet and beautiful four-season destination*, and our rental home incredibly lacks wifi and cell phone service. It has been a nice break. I am not alone: my wife and two children are, […]