My children are 20 months apart. Ryan, the older one, is trying to figure out social norms and learn where he fits in. Riley, the younger sister, is barreling into tween-dom at light speed. They are often headed in opposite directions. They fight like cats and dogs. It’s rarely anything serious, just standard age-appropriate name […]
Read more "How They Help Each Other"Ryan smiled through the entire experience. I could see his smile right through his facemask in pictures I took from 100 feet away. My wife and I fought back tears. My parents sat through bitter cold and wind for four hours to watch him play for a few minutes each intermission. I think even his […]
Read more "A Smile You Can See Through His Mask"This week we received the year-end evaluation from the social kills group that Ryan attends. Other than finding it pretty much spot-on in its assessment of Ryan’s strengths, weaknesses and areas of progress, one passage stood out. One of the group’s main areas of focus this school year was “the hidden rules of middle school,” […]
Read more "Hidden Rules and the SI Cover Jinx"Ryan plays in a street-hockey league in the summer. He’s back with the same coach that led the team to the championship last year, and they’re off to an undefeated start. There’s just one problem: their regular goalie is going to miss a game this week. Ryan immediately volunteered to fill in. It is a […]
Read more "Anything For the Team"Ryan loves the ABC show Wipeout. I don’t blame him. I love the show too. It’s impossible to not laugh at the contestants as they take spills throughout the course, and the cornball, over-the-top commentary from John Anderson and John Henson is hilarious. Like everything with Ryan, there are some unique aspects to the way […]
Read more "The Gift of Focus"
Pucks and Puzzle Pieces 