Where would Los Angeles families be without school carpools? In the daily diaspora that is getting kids to school on time and home whenever we can, we’ve come to rely on these formal but friendly collectives. Without carpools, our round trips to school would multiply out of control, wreaking havoc on our work schedules, gasoline [...]
Read the rest of this article »Holy cow, does my back hurt. At first I thought that I was dying, because surely it would take some organ failing to cause this much pain. In fact, I happened to tune to a radio story about back pain on the way to the Doctor’s office, but I didn’t pay much attention to it [...]
Read the rest of this article »No resolutions for me this year. I’ve had plenty of experience with those buggers, and I can’t remember a single one that ended up changing my life. So I’m starting a new tradition: The New Year’s Wish. Wishes are lower pressure, and since they have just about as much chance of success as a resolution, [...]
Read the rest of this article »My poor son. He’s a maximalist kid with a minimalist mom. Then again, pretty much every kid is a maximalist when it comes to the holidays.
For Luke, the more songs, the more lights, the more tinsel, the more lawn ornaments, the more presents, the better. Though I sincerely believe that for him, it’s really not [...]
“Mom, I’m tired, so I’m going to bed now.”
I have to ask the readers with grown children: When does a parent hear those magical words? When?
I’m guessing that it probably happens the first time your adult child comes to visit you with their new baby, and leaves you in charge of the grandkid.
As my kids [...]
A recent analysis of the summer box office figures in the Los Angeles Times contained the tidbit that the Disney Studio was disappointed in the middling performance of their animated feature “G-Force,” because they had hoped to parlay the movie, which is about guinea pig spies, into a teen franchise. This left me with a [...]
Read the rest of this article »Children, you are either about to go back to school, or you started last week. I bet your parents took a picture of you and your bright smile, empty backpack, and new sneakers on the front porch. Kids, your parents took that picture because they wanted a record of the high hopes they have for [...]
Read the rest of this article »Today is my mom’s birthday, so I’m writing this column for her. My name is Luke Gaines, I am 10 years old, and this is what I am doing on my summer vacation. First off, my summer vacation is mostly just driving my sister around, or at least going with her everywhere, because usually one [...]
Read the rest of this article »Two weeks ago my little boy got braces and outgrew kid’s sized shoes. Last week he graduated from elementary school. Wait! Don’t stop reading! This isn’t going to be one of those mushy, “they grow up so fast,” essays. Except for buying adult shoes that come with adult prices, I’m quite happy to see my [...]
Read the rest of this article »“It’s 10 pm. Do you know where your child is?” Parents of a certain age probably remember that slogan from childhood. It became embedded in pop culture not only because the accompanying public service announcement ran incessantly, but also because it mildly impugned parents everywhere for not doing their jobs. For most children, it was [...]
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