There are myriad reasons not to be a family. There is only one reason to put up with your cigarette-smoking, nose-picking, inept, unpleasant, disruptive, opinionated, boorish grandparents, in-laws, cousins, and siblings. Did I mention that they are also offensive, insensitive, and inappropriate? Do I have to remind you that they
Wait a minute? He did what? He killed her? With a knife? Because she went on a date or didn’t want to marry him or preferred this Grayson guy? And now the abusive murderer is going to hang and we’re supposed to feel sorry for him? “Poor boy”? He’s called
The irony of my complaining about complainers is not lost on me, but consider what the following complainers and complaints have in common: A pediatrician griping about patients with runny noses. A high school math teacher grumbling about students who haven’t memorized the quadratic formula. A lawyer moaning about clients
John Irving wonderfully defined “gradual school” as where students go until they gradually figure out that they need to be somewhere else. I took several courses in myriad departments until determining that I needed to be elsewhere, specifically developmental psychology. The social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development of children, adolescents,
“Do people who run marathons know that they don’t have to?” suggests a popular meme. To which I might add, “do people who have kids know that they’re no requirement?” “You don’t get a prize” one of my running buddies says. She’s referring to training and racing and although, to
We don’t put pressure on our daughter. We never said you must get good grades. We always emphasized that we love her for who she is not what she does. Yet somehow she has internalized this perfectionism. I don’t know where she gets this harmful idea. She studies till all
Had it been my turn I would have tapped two fingers against my left forearm. “Two syllables!” my teammates would have shouted. Holding up two fingers and then grabbing my ear, I would have communicated, “second syllable!” and “sounds like!” before going on to pantomime “fear” by throwing up my
Student loan forgiveness has been a national discussion recently. My colleagues in the independent counseling world have been penning insightful posts about the subject. My limited understanding of the arguments on both sides is as follows: in favor, “student debt is onerous and unfair.” Against, “hard working folks shouldn’t have
My best friend from high school is dying of cancer. I’m not sure exactly what kind. On a recent visit I overheard the words “prostate,” “metastatic,” and “palliative care.” You know the kind of cancer you get better from? Tom’s cancer is the other kind. Tom and I became friends
My wife is my frontal lobe. On a recent trip to Miami, I made arrangements to meet my running buddies on Monday morning for our traditional plod down to Matheson Hammock to watch the sunrise. Patti gently pointed out that while she was in favor of Matheson Hammock specifically and
Copyright © David Altshuler 1980 – 2024 | Miami, FL • Charlotte, NC | (305) 978-8917 | [email protected]
