Dec 27, 2021Member-onlyClimate Change: We’re Not ALL Gonna Die, but It Sure is Gonna SuckOr, Part IV of the Doom Series — Previously, I covered various aspects of Doom — as in, the dreadful feeling that all is lost. That we are truly, deeply, and thoroughly fucked. In part I, I covered the background of climate change and how the consensus on it evolved through today. In part II, I laid out…Climate Change6 min readClimate Change6 min read
Oct 25, 2021Member-onlyHow to Write Fiction in Your Own VoiceFinding your identity in writing can be done in these ways A major struggle for writers is how their writing can improve. We love to evoke our favorite writers. We like quoting them and striving to capture our thoughts and imaginings as they have before. It’s daunting though for a…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read
Published in The Shadow·Oct 20, 2021Member-onlyDivorce Hurts a Child’s HeartHow parents can help their children through grief and trauma What divorce does to a child is tear their entire world apart. Children of divorce struggle to transition from their version of normal to a wide-open plane filled with uncertainty. …Parenting5 min readParenting5 min read
Published in The Shadow·Oct 7, 2021Member-onlyHow to Become the Parent Your Child NeedsA Practical Guide to Being an Empathetic, Kind & Nurturing Parent Recently, I posted about the death of expectations, as it concerns parenting. I discussed how when my daughter was born, my wife and I had diverse expectations, but my daughter managed to dash even my more modest ones. My…Parenting6 min readParenting6 min read
Published in The Shadow·Sep 21, 2021Member-onlyStruggling Dads: Use a Calendar and Do the LaundryDads Can Feel Valued by Doing Their Jobs for Goodness’ Sake I’m going to do something that doesn’t happen often in parenting articles: I’m going to cut the dads some slack. I’m talking about the ones who participate in or validate the work that gets done around them constantly. The…Relationships4 min readRelationships4 min read
Sep 16, 2021Member-onlyLong Periods of Boredom & Moments of Sheer TerrorLife Aboard a US Air Force Reconnaissance Aircraft — A Veteran’s Perspective Earlier this September, I discussed different points of my experiences as an Afghanistan War veteran. You can find my ruminations about the war’s conclusion, or an analysis about veterans and grief. …Veteran5 min readVeteran5 min read
Published in The Shadow·Sep 14, 2021Member-onlyFamily Estrangement: Why Don’t I Know My Grandparents?A Parent Struggles to Teach Their Child About Family Schisms “Why don’t you talk to your mom and dad?” That question haunts me. My daughter has asked me this several times and I’ve struggled to answer it on every occasion. “We just don’t get along.” …Parenting4 min readParenting4 min read
Published in The Shadow·Sep 8, 2021Member-onlyBecome the Parent Your Child Needs. Even If It’s Not What You Dreamed.New Parents Often Experience a Disheartening Death of Expectations My wife was the ideal pregnant mother-to-be — if you take your cues from parenting blogs. She prepared for birth as though we were going to live atop Mt. Denali for a year. My wife insisted on cloth diapers. She joined…Postpartum6 min readPostpartum6 min read
Sep 7, 2021Member-onlyI Grew Up Being Told Climate Change was Not a Problem. Now I’m Expected to Save Earth?A Generation Feels Doomed Because They Lack the Tools, Time, Energy & Agency. This is the 3rd part of a series on doom, i.e. the feeling of loss and hopeless in the face of overwhelming circumstances. Parts one and two are already published, and they give a bit of background…Climate Change6 min readClimate Change6 min read
Published in The Shadow·Sep 4, 2021Member-onlyIf You Wanted to Be Respected, Then You Shouldn’t Have Become A ParentCommand & Control Leadership is Bad Parenting, Most of the Time A little over a year ago I appeared on the Failing Motherhood podcast, which is hosted by my friend, Danielle Bettmann. During our talk she mentioned a lot of the fathers she works with in her parenting coach business…Parenting4 min readParenting4 min read
