Dad

Photo by Steve Shreve on Unsplash

Getting Through My First Year Without A Dad

Last April, my dad died two days before his 58 birthday after struggling with Huntington's Disease for over a decade. This is my first year without a dad.

Read...
I love him in spite of myself. I have good memories of him. I don’t want him to die.

My Father Abused Me, And Now He's Dying

My dad had an explosive anger that he took out on his children. My father abused me and I love him in spite of myself. I don’t want him to die.

Read...
Army dad, Shawn Sullivan, and his kids.

For Your Thursday Weeping Pleasure: This Dad Coming Home From Afghanistan

Babies are born. People die. Birthdays and anniversaries and Christmas all happen, and our military folks miss it all.

Read...
Joe Biden and Meghan McCain on The View

Joe Biden Brings A Tear To My Critical Eye

Today I saw this video of Joe and Meghan, and for a just a minute I remembered that life is shockingly fragile and people are better than we think.

Read...
image credit: Sholom Ber Solomon via Instagram

This Dad And His Baby Have Won Our Hearts

Parents this awesome just remind me how I don't even have a baby book for 4 out of 5 of my children.

Read...
In his death came the “this is no joke” realization that — cliché as it is — life is short.

The Death Of My Father Is Helping Me Live A Better Life 

I’m not sure I would have persisted with such ambition prior to my father’s death. I’ve found that a loved one’s passing does more than nudge you forward; it can catapult you towards exciting opportunities.

Read...
"In a culture where men are taught to be aggressive, dominant, and condescending, my father was nurturing, quiet, and never once treated his daughters and son differently." Image: Thinkstock

How My Father Helped Me Become The Feminist I Am Today

It would be easy to point to my mother as the originator of my lifelong feminism. She kept her last name when my parents married in the ‘80s, refused to perpetuate schoolyard gender norms, and encouraged my sister and me not to let anyone limit us by our gender... My mother may have been the louder influence, but ignoring my father’s impact does us both a disservice.

Read...
Shulevitz thus calls for a feminism — one that she calls “caregiverism” — that “demand[s] dignity and economic justice for parents dissatisfied with a few weeks of unpaid parental leave.” Image: Thinkstock.

If Childcare Is The Key To Gender Equality And Parental Happiness, Can We Get It Now?

Judith Shulevitz recently noted in the New York Times that although “unmarried childless women have overcome every barrier to opportunity you can think of... Mothers, on the other hand, aren’t doing nearly as well.” According to Shulevitz, this is because the feminists of Hillary Clinton’s generation focused on demanding equality for women in the workplace.

Read...