Stories for Dads and Moms who Need a Laugh

Our family has had more adventures with our dog than we care to remember. Some memories involve a trip to the vet . Sometimes Puppy finds something she wasn't supposed to eat in the backyard or she'll help herself to some human food conveniently within her reach. Puppy spends most of her time with Lovie, who has told us the dog is her child. Puppy sleeps in her room. This is fine with Kitty, who tries to avoid puppy and her games of chase and wrestling. Puppy's abundant energy can be a lot for the family. Lucky for us, we have a fenced-in backyard that gives her room to run around. If time permits, I'll take her to a local dog park where she can expend more energy. If she's lucky, there will be other dogs in the park for her to play with. Caring for Pets and Children Shh! Baby's sleeping! There are other children Lovie takes care of. Some of these are actual human children. Our family helps take care of our extended family from time to time. This will include ba...

"Twinkle the Shooting Star" Problems come, as a parent, and problems go. Sometimes a new problem arises as soon as you take care of one, and sometimes it comes when you're in the middle of solving one. Sometimes more than one problem will come at you. You may be able to solve all or both of the problems at the same time, if you're lucky. Problem Solving I have done my best to show my children, and any other child that's been at my house how to solve a problem. My children are at home when Wife and I are both at work, so we're not always able to help them. Sometimes, the children are left on their own and they need to rely on themselves to solve a problem. This can be challenging for some, traumatic for others. Meet Twinkle Lucky for everyone, our children can be resourceful sometimes. I was thinking of this when reading a book that was brought to my attention. Chioma Allen-Nwachukwu's "Twinkle the Shooting Star" tells the story of a girl named J...

A parent's work is never done. Even as the children retire for the evening, there are duties and responsibilities that require parents. These include making sure the children have brushed their teeth, or their dirty clothes from the day are in hampers or laundry baskets. Did they shower? Is the shampoo/conditioner/soap thoroughly rinsed out? Is their hair brushed so there are no tangles? As I just said: A parent's work is never done. Part of my job at the end of the day is reading to The Boy. This has been my job ever since the child moved on from a crib to a bed. Before him, I read to The Oppressed. She would pick out the book for me to read, and I would read to her until she fell asleep. This nightly tradition has moved on from The Oppressed's bedroom to that of The Boy. Instead of reading books about girls playing and princesses dancing, we read about Dog Man and the Cat Kid Comic Club . "Dog Man" by Dav Pilkey "Cat Kid Comic Club" by Dav Pilkey A Dr...

Nights and evenings mean it's time to unwind from a long, hard day and rest for what the morning has in store for us. For Wife and me, it means climbing into bed and reading before closing our eyes for some well-earned slumber. One More Important Duty Before I can climb into bed for my slumber, though, I need to fulfill an important fatherly duty. This duty requires me to read to The Boy. This has been a tradition we have observed for years, and my youngest son has a stringent list of requirements that need to be religiously followed every night. The night begins with a "First Assigned Spot". This means I have to be on my bed while The Boy changes his clothes and gets ready for bed. When he is ready, he comes to my room and informs me he is ready for me to go to his room and read to him. Every night, I take a shot and ask if my intelligent child might want to read a story to me for a change. I think that would be a nice little treat if I get to listen to my child's ...