Rearview Roadkill: Fatherhood

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  Entitled kids aren’t born – they’re made

  Several years ago I read an article by a dad blogger priding himself on what he was convinced would be the jewel in his fatherhood crown. The assertion he put forth was to remove the word ‘no’ or any likeness from his vocabulary for anything having to do with his five-year-old son. He had formulated [...]

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  Parenting like nobody is watching

  As a boy I was mesmerized by what could be done with a handful of dominoes. Not for their original purpose, I still have no clue how the real game is played. My fascination instead came in the way magicians and other conjurers using hundreds or thousands of them could create complex geometric shapes full [...]

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  Radical Love

  In our modern lexicon the word ‘radical’ has become synonymous with fanaticism, rigidity, and bigotry. For someone’s views to be defined as radical implies one who is plebeian, a fundamentalist, and uneducated. Someone radical is usually seen as lesser than compared to the rest of erudite society. What is your first impression when you hear [...]

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  2012 Redux – the good, the bad, and 20 posts I’m kinda proud of

  This is the second year of Chopperpapa. Frankly I’m surprised to have made it this far without throwing in the towel, 80% of blogs fold in the first 90 days never to be resurrected. If that’s true it means I’m well beyond puberty now. I’ve learned one thing from it all, practice does come with [...]

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  What Joseph of Nazareth can teach us about being a man

  The infancy narrative, the birth of Jesus Christ, is one of the most widely known and beloved historic accounts in all of human history. In the days to come, countless children will perform its reenactment and clergy will reaffirm its significance the world over. While their place in our story of redemption can’t be overstated, [...]

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  Thanks, Things, and the end of Gratitude

  Growing up, Thanksgiving was a day spent wallowing in traditional southern fare and being chauffeured by my parents from one end of the county to the other. We spent the early afternoon at my paternal grandparents’ home where Ma-Maw’s chocolate rolls were the tour de force. Early evening we arrived at my at my mother’s [...]

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  Seven battles every single parent must win – #3 Guilt

  If anger is the root of divorce, guilt is its Oleander. I’ve yet to meet a single parent, not a solitary one, who hasn’t at times found themselves sinking in a cesspool of guilt. Not prosaic guilt like an extra piece of pie or too many drinks. I’m referring to a guilt that hangs like [...]

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