By Shannon Ralph When I was 10 years old, my dad was diagnosed with brain cancer. He had fallen on hot metal at work following a seizure and, for the rest of his short life, he had a large burn mark on his upper arm in the shape of the continent of Africa. I thought […]
By: Shannon Ralph My wife and I are planning a European trip. We are not now, nor have we ever been, seasoned world travelers. We do not have current passports. We do not possess a single frequent flyer mile between us. Our foreign country experience to date has been limited to Canadian border towns and […]
By: Shannon Ralph Dear Vice President Biden, I love you! I love you! Wow. That was not how I intended to start this letter. My intention was to write a serious letter expressing my sincere regards for your tireless and admirable work as our vice president over the last seven years. The “I love you” […]
By: Shannon Ralph I have an amazing daughter. She is smart and capable. Talented and sassy. I adore her with every cell in my body. I am certain she has a bright future ahead of her, and may just be the leader of the free world one day. All that said, however, let’s be brutally […]
By: Shannon Ralph 1. Awkward Family Photos 2016 Day-to-Day Calendar What better way to combat the torment of spending the holidays with your family than to giggle at the expense of other poor souls subjected to painfully awkward family encounters? 2. The Official BS Button Call bullshit on your teen when he starts to think […]
By: Shannon Ralph I recently came across a quote that made me chuckle. “Not completely unsurprisingly, 56% of fathers say they share household chores and responsibilities equally with their partners, while only 46% of mothers agree.” For years, I’ve heard friends and relatives lament the lack of help their husbands provide when it comes to […]
By: Shannon Ralph Friday afternoon, I sat at home with my children and wife watching Ellen on television. Like most parents, I was multi-tasking. Watching television, chatting with my kids about their school day, and perusing Facebook on my phone. It was a day like any other day—until it wasn’t. Our show was interrupted with […]
By Shannon Ralph I love Christmas. It’s truly my favorite time of the year, and has been as long as I can remember. I love 24/7 Christmas carols. I love piles of snow and shimmering icicles. I love the smiles on the faces of total strangers. I love the wonder in the eyes of exhausted […]
By: Shannon Ralph I am the proud parent of a lovely—though occasionally smelly—young man. At 12 years old, my son is on the cusp of puberty. And we all know where puberty leads—yep, manhood. Ahhh…manhood. That oft-revered state of autonomy and self-reliance that all boys dream of achieving. The point in time when a boy […]
By: Shannon Ralph The incredible ability to separate even the tiniest of fused Lego pieces using only my teeth. A healthy mistrust of silence in all its forms. Perfect recitation of the phrases “uh-huh,” “go on,” and “I see” (essential skills for any parent hoping to effectively fake interest in a child’s passionate discussion of video […]
