Bikes Are Fun

"I did it, Dad!"

“I did it, Dad!”

My youngest daughter has been hesitating for months at taking the training wheels off of her bike.

Not even now at the age of seven does she want to brave riding without the support of those trusty training wheels.

So I took them off.

She frowned.

“I will fall,” she said, lowering her head and kicking out at the floor.

I said, “Let’s give it a try.”

She said, ever so meekly, “Okay.” [continue reading…]

Apps for Anything

"You got an app for picking up poo?"

“You got an app for picking up poo?”

My eldest daughter and I were discussing apps and technology at the dinner table.

It’s not really an everyday topic for us.

It’s that the topic has been on my mind because I’ve been helping to promote a new messaging app in Argentina. It’s called DeeMe, and it’s a blend of the best of Instagram and WhatsApp. It’s totally cool, my 12-year-old daughter says, without my coaxing.

As our conversation continued, my youngest daughter looked over at us dully from the other end of the table, not really into all this techno talk. [continue reading…]

Cinderella

"Daytime is just so overrated."

“Daytime is just so overrated.”

My wife is traveling with our 10-year-old son, and this has left me in charge of the two girls.

This is not easy when you have a rascal for your youngest daughter.

On the first morning, the seven-year-old slept in. This is not uncanny. She likes to wake up in her own time, generally after 9 a.m. Maybe even after 10 a.m. This isn’t a stress for getting to school on time because our children go in the afternoon.

The stress is that I have to tread lightly because waking her up before “her time” can put her in a terrible mood that can last through the morning. I mean, this is a girl who when we once had to wake up at 7 a.m. to go renew our passports, said to us, “Mornings hurt.”

She meant it. [continue reading…]