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How To Guide Child Through His 'Villain' Phase
Q: Our three-year-old son is fascinated with evil characters. Whenever he plays make-believe he always takes on the role of the villain; the only action figures he wants are the "bad guys." We've made big changes to our media viewing habits -- but nothing has changed. How should we address this?
Jim: Generally speaking, I don't think there's ...Read more
If You Don't Love the World Cup, You Haven't Heard the Right Story
At this point, my family members are accustomed to my weird European sporting interests. Short of watching "Heated Rivalry," you can't get me into hockey, but I can give you a 15-year history of the F1 race team that was Force India. And when it comes to football, the only team I've watched compete at Soldier Field is Olympiakos, the Piraeus ...Read more
Editorial: For kids, a 'boring' summer can be the most exciting and memorable of all
The Fourth of July has come and gone, and for many families, summer has reached its sweet spot. The pools are open. The bikes are out. Library reading logs are filling up. School feels far away.
At least, that’s the nostalgic version.
And yet, for many children in the city and suburbs, summer doesn’t look like that at all. Children of ...Read more
Summer Songs Never Die
There's something about a summer song that means every time you hear it -- 10, 20, even (ahem) many more years later -- it all comes flooding back. The sun. The sprinklers. The bikinis (yours or someone else's). Often there's a camp in the background, or a beach, or a car -- and with any luck, the top is down.
Basically, you can take the year ...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'MOANA'
Rated PG for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements.
What it’s about: The young princess Moana is chosen by the ocean to return the heart of Te Fiti in order to save her island and she teams up with the demigod Maui to do so (same plot as the first movie!).
The kid attractor factor: The familiarity ...Read more
Ex-etiquette: Getting along
Q. How do I get along with my ex without fighting? We can barely stand each other and I can tell our kids are being affected. She thinks they are “just fine.” I think they are struggling. I tell her what the kids say and how they have trouble sleeping and she says, “I don’t see it here. It must be something YOU’RE doing.” I’m at a ...Read more
Lori Borgman: The girl who cried wolf
Fortunately, I didn’t see the late-night text from our son until early the next morning. I wouldn’t have slept a wink if I had.
His two youngest girls spent the night with us. They live in the country, know all the plants and trees and animal tracks and can give wildlife a run for their money.
The 10-year-old, who slept over, is gentle as ...Read more
The final days of old brooklyn in Xochitl Gonzalez’s 'Last Night in Brooklyn'
When I saw the title of this book, "Last Night in Brooklyn," I immediately thought I was about to read a post-apocalyptic dystopian tale (that could have had something to do with the other media I’d been consuming), but I urged myself to read the description. And of course, when I saw a character named La Garza, my mind went into a completely ...Read more
Faith turns fatal in this riveting FBI investigation
"Before the Devil Knows" is the third installment in the critically acclaimed and award-nominated Gus Wheeler FBI thriller series by R. John Dingle. This dark crime thriller follows Agent Gus Wheeler and his partner, Vanessa Lambert, as they investigate the murder of a 17-year-old boy, which quickly unearths a series of murders connected to ...Read more
Family Dynamics Shift When Adult Son Moves Home
Q: Our 23-year-old son recently graduated from college and is living with us again. We also have two young teens in the house. We know we should treat our adult son differently in terms of rules and expectations. But we're concerned about how this might affect the younger kids. Help!?
Jim: A growing number of families are facing similar ...Read more
The Declaration of Childhood Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all children are created playful, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty to roam, and the pursuit of at least some happiness without constant adult supervision.
That to secure these rights adults must step back so kids step up, as must the ...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'MINIONS & MONSTERS'
Rated PG for violence/action, language and rude/macabre humor.
What it’s about: In this love letter to Hollywood, we learn about a trio of filmmaking Minions who gatecrash the studio system of the 1920s, strike out on their own to make an independent monster movie and have to save the world from what they unleash.
The ...Read more
Worried about your aging parents? Welcome to the caregiving club
When his father was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer in 2025, William Morrison immediately went into caregiving mode.
“We were in the hospital every day,” he said. “I was really playing the intermediary between the medical staff and our family and kind of helping have those conversations and push for those answers.”
One in 10 ...Read more
Lori Borgman: Even at 250, celebrating July 4th doesn't get old
The morning of July 4th is so quiet around here, you might wonder if the entire subdivision entered the witness protection program.
But around 9, garage doors start rolling up. Bicycles, ride toys, wagons and strollers emerge as Operation Decoration begins. Red, white and blue streamers wrap handlebars, balloons are anchored to Big Wheels and ...Read more
Ex-etiquette: Slow down your diagnosis
Q. My son’s father and I separated eight months ago and it’s taken a while for us to get adjusted. One thing I have noticed is that my son is very unorganized around the house, and his teacher recently told me he is very unorganized at school. I have trouble getting him to settle down and do his homework. He’s also very forgetful and doesn...Read more
TJ Klune turns the end of the world into a love story you won’t forget
Buckle up for a road trip unlike any other in "We Burned So Bright." Rodney and Don reflect on the life they’ve built together over 40 years, against impossible odds. When a rogue blackhole appears on the edge of the solar system, the couple realizes their time together will be cut short. One important item remains on their bucket list, a ...Read more
A speculative tale that asks us to sit with uneasy truths
Aries season asked us to burn. To move fast, act first and trust the fire. Taurus season asks something different — and perhaps harder. It asks us to slow down, sink into the earth beneath our feet and sit with what is real.
Richard Powers’ "Playground" — recently released in paperback — is exactly the book for that.
Taurus is the ...Read more
Mark Blake’s oral history of Pink Floyd’s enduring legacy
Music is an integral part of modern culture. Musical genres such as rock-n-roll define generations and give hope and excitement to listeners fortunate enough to be a part of the musical experience. Groups such as Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Pink Floyd have stamped their mark around the world and on pop culture for decades.
In "Pink Floyd: Shine ...Read more
Navigating Teen's Curiosity About Past
Q: I'm not proud of the fact that I was pretty wild in my younger years. Now my teenage son is asking questions about my past. How open should I be about things I regret?
Jim: This is a common question -- and dilemma -- for many parents. In most cases, generally speaking, "less is more." But the driving consideration should always be: "What's ...Read more
In Days of Yore, Adrift on Waves of Chianti
It's summer, the season of vacations, therefore the season of air travel and the season of people getting kicked off planes because they've had too much to drink.
The culture has shifted, though, and because of regulations or health consciousness or sheer panic at the idea of getting sued, I'm sure that I'll never again experience what I did ...Read more
Inside Parents
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- Editorial: For kids, a 'boring' summer can be the most exciting and memorable of all
- Worried about your aging parents? Welcome to the caregiving club
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