Fatherhood – Page 7 – Perpetual Adoration

May 14, 2016

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A Bug Watch and a Guardian Angel

On Mother’s Day, my oldest daughter Anna invited our entire family over to her house for dinner. After dinner, we celebrated the birthday of her 6-year-old son, David. Whenever I’m invited to one of my grandchildren’s birthday parties, I go out of my way to find an inexpensive but unique gift that they will remember and enjoy using. I always tease them ahead of time about the gift I have for them.

April 16, 2016

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A Decision Not To Be A Victim

Two weeks ago, I wrote about some of the abusive teachers that I had at the Catholic grade school that I attended during the 1960s. Last week, I wrote about how the behavior of those teachers wasn’t much different than the behavior of other teachers in the 1960s. I wrote that at that time, there were some parents and teachers who believed that abusing and humiliating boys was a necessary part of transforming them into real men.

April 9, 2016

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Changing Beliefs About Hair Color

There was an article in Adweek magazine a few years ago that discussed how women weren’t open to using hair-color products when they were first introduced in the 1950s. In 1956, Clairol introduced “Miss Clairol,” a “hair color bath” for women that provided a one-step product for natural-looking results.

March 12, 2016

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Living Up To Expectations

One Sunday morning during the summer of 1997, I was in the bathroom getting ready for church. The door was open and I was standing at the sink, shaving. My oldest daughter, Anna, appeared in the doorway and the following conversation took place between us:

March 5, 2016

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The Clock Is Ticking

After I published my article last week about my daughter’s experience with one of the professors at the college she attends, I received a couple of interesting comments. One of the comments came from a lawyer I’ve known for more than 25 years. I saw him at the courthouse last Tuesday, and he said that he had just caught up on reading my February articles.

February 27, 2016

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A Stressful College Experience

About 20 years ago when I was still doing criminal defense work, one day while I was in court with a client, a man showed up late for his court hearing. When the bailiff told the judge that the man had arrived, the judge told the man that a warrant had been issued for his arrest because he was late for his hearing. The judge then instructed the deputy in the courtroom to arrest the man and book him in the Peoria County jail where he would have to pay a cash bond to be released. Upon his release, he would be given a new date and time to appear in court.

January 23, 2016

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A Tribute to Dumit Ghantous

On January 19, 2016, my wife’s father, Dumit Ghantous, passed away. She gave a eulogy at the end of his funeral Mass. I wanted to share with you what she said about her father. Here’s what she said:

November 28, 2015

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Memories That Make Thanksgiving Come Alive

There’s an essay that I like to read every Thanksgiving. It takes me back to my childhood and reminds me of the reasons I should be thankful. The essay became popular after Paul Harvey read it on his morning radio show on September 6, 1997.

September 26, 2015

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Let the Crawling Contest Begin

My wife and I have 10 grandchildren — six boys and four girls. My daughter Maria is expecting a new baby in January, so that will bring the total to 11. Three of our grandsons were born last year during the month of November. Since they’re all crawling now, I recently proposed to the family that we schedule a crawling contest. My plan is for all of us to meet on a Sunday afternoon at my brother-in-law’s business, Body Fitness.