Triple The Dad

Most everyone knows, at this point, that I have triplets.  But at a recent work event I had the opportunity to introduce that fact to someone for the first time. I got the usual amazement. I got to tell all the stories about those first few harrowing months. And it got me thinking about some things that just are unique about triplets. Things parents of singletons or even parents with 5 kids (who aren't that different workwise from parents of multiples) don't face. When you have singletons, or even lots of kids, the birthdays are often spaced out. Sure, you might have two birthdays close together, as our friends do. But I'm willing to bet they aren't as close as ours! This all really hit me as my wife and I prepped for the kids' birthdays. We were looking at the presents we got them and my wife said something along the lines of "I think its all fair." It looked a little like a pretty decent Christmas haul and I responded that maybe it was too much. ...

Orlando; Dallas; Charleston. Brexit.  Less than one-third of people polled believe the United States is headed in the right direction. Admittedly, if you drill down and focus just on certain events, the world can seem pretty bleak. Almost as if its falling apart.  I would - have! - argue that you would be wrong. I would also argue that its irresponsible. Not just as citizens of society, but as parents, as well. B ecause the belief that we are worse off today than pretty much any period in time is an artifice of the mind  psychologists  call  habituation . Its a trick our brain plays on us. You get that new phone or car or apartment and you love it. And then as the weeks go by you become acclimated to it. The new and exciting becomes background. You forget how good you have it. The emphasis on current also means we tend to forget about the past, when things were also violent and hateful. Which is what we do when we pretend that a single current even...