An uncle died last week after suffering a stroke during the summer. We attended the wake Thursday night and the funeral Friday morning. When I said we I mean me, my wife and our 17-year-old son. My 13-year-old son chose not to attend - even though in the past he has.

At the wake there were some [...]

For the last nine months I’ve been on the college hunt with my oldest son, who is in the 12th grade. All of a sudden I have to add another academic search – a high school for my youngest son who is in the eighth grade.

Both sons are in an unusual public school – for our area [...]

This is a little irregular, but I ask the indulgence of Parents’ Place readers. What follows is of urgent importance for a group of deserving children and for the newest member of Westchester’s unemployed.
Dear Mr. Torre,
 First, let me say that despite comments by one colleague at The Journal News/LoHud who shall remain nameless, you were treated shabbily by George Steinbrenner and/or [...]

I went to the park Sunday with my youngest son for his first cross-country meet of the year. It was another beautiful day, the sun still strong enough for a tan but a cool breeze stirring whenever a cloud moved in. 

These meets are great events for kids from six to 14. They are run by the CYO, the Catholic Youth Organization, though you don’t need [...]

My kids’ health is fine, it’s our pet that’s got some issues.  I took our cat, Miko, home from the hospital last Tuesday and he’s doing OK now. But before I go into details, I first want to explain how our cat came to live with us. It might be instructive if you’re considering a pet for your kids.
Miko arrived as part of a deal for a house rental in Woodstock  seven years [...]

I’m excited about this. My youngest son, who just turned 13 Saturday, has  run with me four times in a little more than two weeks. The plan is for him to run two or three times a week so he can get into shape for our parish’s CYO track team. But this routine is  good for me, too.

I’ve [...]

Though it ends summer, September is an optimistic time for parents.

September is to the school year, what spring training is to baseball. It’s that brief time when all is fresh and promising. There’s plenty of time for reality later; It’s called the second semester.  

Last night, I went to curriculum night at the school attended by my two sons -  eighth and 12th graders. Curriculum night is when [...]

Car safety seats certainly have improved since the days that kiddie seats were made of flimsy plastic and equipped with a steering wheel and horn. The whole thing was hung over the seatback using two large inverted hooks. I remembered my parents were thrilled when they found a small carriage that could be wedged between [...]

Family vacations could be a recipe for disaster. First of all there are the high hopes of a family adventure,  shared experiences and, in this instance, a college visit for my oldest son, who at the time of our trip, was just about to start his senior year in high school.

Then there is all that time cooped up in [...]

We’re on vacation now, but I’ve been thinking about the values that we pass on to our kids. Values covers a lot of ground and what I’ve been thinking about lately is environmental values. 

I hope my kids are learning from some of the things we do in our house. Starting at the end of last year we’ve replaced [...]

We hope to leave early this morning on our vacation trip; well,  early for our family.
In anticipating our departure, I’m reminded of a favorite movie, The Great Santini.  For those who don’t know the film,  it revolves around Bull Meecham, a Marine fighter pilot played by Robert Duvall, and his often-abusive relationship with his family.
Meecham is far from a fatherhood role model, but as our [...]

Thursday morning we will set off on a family trip to Niagara Falls, then Toronto and on the way back, Ithaca. The last stop serves two purposes: to explore the Finger Lakes and to visit Binghamton University, known for many years as SUNY Binghamton.

My oldest son, 17, is entering his senior year in high school and it’s time [...]

We conducted an experiment in family planning Friday. No, not that kind of family planning. My family planned its vacation for the last two weeks of August. The agenda now calls for a drive across New York State to Niagara Falls and then to Toronto. This is how we did; How do you handle your [...]

Back-to-school sale. Those four words fill kids with an icy dread and the hollow pain of loss – the loss of a summer that has barely begun. With just four weeks of summer vacation gone and another six remaining, my oldest son spotted a back-to-school sale at a local store this weekend past. And tonight [...]

My youngest son asks me to lower or, better yet, shut off the music in the car when we pull up to the dropoff point for his summer day camp. (I’m usually listening to rock, or blues, R&B, bluegrass or some combination of the preceeding. Or else jazz on WBGO.) Isn’t it great to know [...]