Ruth and I had been relishing in our first empty-nest experience for the past few months. This past weekend the nest was anything but empty. For the first time in six years all of our children and grandchildren were together. Just a couple of years ago...
Alvin Price, Child Development teacher at BYU-Idaho South (that school in Provo) was fond of saying, “If you want to raise street-smart kids, don’t interfere when your kids fight with each other.” That was troubling advice for a student with two active little boys who were...
With legalization of marijuana in two states and several others considering it, there has been a resurgence in compelling research about the effects of pot. While most media and political conversations portray it as a harmless substance, research and common sense observation have demonstrated otherwise....
One-third of Utah marriages include children from a former marriage or relationship, according to a recent report. That means that one-third of that state’s new families are “blended families”. While I don’t know the statistics for our own state and area I dare say it...
Over the weekend I dropped of a stereo system—turn-table, tuner-receiver, and speakers—at Deseret Industries for a friend. As we unloaded it from the back of the truck one employee said to the other, “Wow, check out the ‘hi-fi’!” It had been years since I had heard...
Some time ago my son, Tyler, introduced me to “Honest Trailers” on YouTube, silly reviews of popular films. Last night I saw the clip for the 1990 Christmas comedy “Home Alone” and it hit me—this week Tyler will move out, and Ruth and I will...
Last week I read a book, a whole book. (Pause for applause.) Okay, I’m not the veracious and speedy reader that my wife, Ruth, and daughter, Marissa, are. I pretty much stick to professional articles and only dive into an actual book if I anticipate getting some...
Just yesterday a young man stopped me in the hallway to ask about the effects of media on family life and how children develop. I did not hesitate to state that the media we consume and encourage within our homes has tremendous influence. For years social...
Summer is upon us the time, the time when families load into everything from minivans to 747’s to get away from the grind of daily work and do something just for the sake of fun. In some families great sacrifices will be made to assure...
This is a letter to the executives at PixL, a television network with which I recently became familiar. I have a bone to pick with them. I understand they are based in Dallas, but I’m sure they get the Standard-Journal. Who doesn’t? To Whom It May...