Tales of Liam

I was reluctant for it to happen -- but it's not like it's something I can control.
Liam's visiting teacher suggested we get a clear canister, put something Liam may want in it, and get him to hand it to one of us as a way of communicating, "I want help with this." Not an easy task: if he doesn't want it, he won't do it, and if he wants...

I got way too much enjoyment from this. A lady at church came up, gushed over Liam (and that's not a crime, is it?), touched his cheek, and said, "How's Liam today?"
I said, "Sick. And contagious."
She whipped that hand back and said, "Why didn't you put a sign on him?" I didn't have a comeback....

I've mentioned before my brother-in-law's principle that you can tell an involved father from an uninvolved one by saying "five-wipe diaper," and seeing if he says, "What's that?"
I thought: you are so wasteful. Use one side, fold it over, use one side of that, fold it over, keep going till it's the size of your big toe, and you won't need more than two. Maybe three....

I'm inspired by a recent conversation with experienced parents about the travails of getting children to eat their vegetables -- complete with negotiations, hidden evidence, malingering ("my tummy hurts") and enlisting secret help from the dog -- to...