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Ellie and I met a very sweet little boy at the park today, who I’ll call “James.” He climbed on the merry-go-round with us and promptly informed us that he was 4, but “I be 5 on my next birf-day.” My daughter is 2 and 1/2, and he seemed very kind to her.

Later, I saw him playing with a group of mostly older boys, probably aged 5 – 8. (It’s Spring Break here.) They were dividing into teams for some game when I heard James explain to an older boy: “No! You only get 1 shot wif a sniper [rifle]. I had RPG [rocket-propelled grenade launcher] so I got you.” (more…)

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Time flies. Here it is 2019, and I haven’t posted anything. I’m sure you’re aghast, clearly unable to continue life and productive endeavours until I update my blog. Well, rest easy, Somewhat-Infrequent Reader. I got you covered.

And to First-Time Readers, this is how it usually works around here. The blog is fairly low on the priority list and thus is only updated when (A) There’s big news; (B) I get a twinge of nerdy excitement about esoteric topics; or (C) I’m overcome by the urge to overshare online. In this case, it’s option C.  (more…)

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Most of the regular readers here know I quit my job in December to be a full-time dad to our new baby girl. (If you didn’t know, consider yourself caught up.) It’s now July. I’ve been *not* working for at least six months, am not seeking a job, and have no plans to seek a job in the immediate future. (More on that later.) In short, my professional marketing career is voluntarily over.

That’s retirement, right? When you voluntarily stop working to pursue other interests (even if those interests are raising children)? I think so. Maybe. I’m not sure.

The more interesting question: What’s it like to be retired by your early thirties?

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Spring is in the air: the trees are budding, weeds have executed their annual hostile takeover of my yard, and my daughter just turned four months old. It’s a wonderful time.

Now that I’ve been a full-time father flying solo for about six weeks, I thought it would be interesting to give you a glimpse at my average weekday.*

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On the night table beside my daughter’s crib we have a book of children’s Bible stories. I started reading to her during and after her feedings. The book begins – just as the real Good Book does – with “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

I paused.

My daughter was just a few days old at the time I started reading to her. Even if she could have understood what I said, she would have no context for who or what “God” is. I eventually went on undeterred (after all, comprehension isn’t a strong suit among five-day-old kids), but it got me thinking:

How do you explain a concept like “God” to someone for the first time?

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