Parenthood

- - - | written by Jason on 9/10/2017 | - - -

Did You Know Your Car Has This Weird Standard Feature?

"Follow No Maps" by Jason Kotecki. Made with Photoshop. Prints and other goodies featuring this image available here. I was talking to a woman after one of my speaking engagements and she told me about an unusual bug her car possessed. She explained that sometimes, while she was driving with her kids in tow, her car would suddenly take on a life of its own. There was nothing she could do to control the direction it was headed. No matter how hard she jerked the steering wheel left, if the vehicle wanted to turn right, it went right, with the kids erupting into a frenzy of excited, …

- - - | written by Jason on 9/3/2017 | - - -

What To Do When All The Leaders Stink

For the past seven years, I have had the privilege of doing a program on life balance with young leaders in the field of civil engineering. We talk a lot about the different demands that come from balancing an upwardly mobile career path with a family and other relationships. A lot of venting takes place about the "old guard” and how out of touch some of the senior parters are at some firms. It’s always a fascinating discussion that I enjoy facilitating. Leadership is an interesting thing. The leaders of your country, your boss, and those people on the school board might all very well be …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/21/2017 | - - -

What I Learned From Charles Ingalls (This Week)

Our family loves watching Little House on the Prairie. As a homeschoolers, it has been a great way to discuss some pretty big topics with our kids, like alcoholism, racism, bullying, and more. (Confession: I want to be Charles Ingalls when I grow up!) We just finished season four. In the final two episodes (which TV Guide put on its 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time list), the big railroad companies were flexing their muscle to gain more power, engaging in questionable tactics that were putting farmers in rural areas out of business. Walnut Grove, the town where the Ingalls family lived, was …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/9/2017 | - - -

A Tale of Two Blue Shoes

At three years old going on twenty-two with pink hair and arms wrapped in tattoos, my daughter Virginia keeps us on our toes. A few weeks ago, she decided she wanted to wear two different shoes. To church. To her credit, they were both blue. The logic was sound. She dug one shoe out of the closet, but failed to find the match, so she grabbed another nearby shoe and put that on. Problem solved. Kim and I appraised the situation and looked at each other. Ginny appeared determined. A fight to conform to a more standard footwear choice would likely ensue. Not that we're pushovers, …

- - - | written by Jason on 2/19/2017 | - - -

Saying Yes to Piggy Back Rides

One of Adultitis’ best tricks — and the one that trips me up the most — is getting us to believe that the most important things in life are merely distractions. My youngest daughter routinely asks me for piggy back rides. Most of the time I say yes. But sometimes I'm tired, or want to keep reading the book I just opened five seconds ago. And sometimes I’m too focused on the latest pet project that I'm convinced will deliver a windfall of profit and impact. The justification for brushing off this minor “distraction” of my daughter pestering me for a piggy back ride is that, in the end, …

- - - | written by Kim on 1/18/2017 | - - -

When Was Your Last Unscripted Adventure?

Nature and kids. It’s a magical combination. I treasure memories from my own childhood, ones like rolling down that huge hill at Allen Park next to the Illinois River, and climbing the tree in my front yard on Shady Lane, with grandiose plans to spend the whole afternoon there. These memories get richer with the years, don’t they? One of my deepest longings as a parent is to provide these magical moments for our kids. I’m finding that with all things in life, when I give, I end up receiving way more than I ever imagined possible. This little story illustrates the gift my kids gave …

- - - | written by Jason on 12/11/2016 | - - -

Mom Gives Adult Children Unusual Christmas Gifts

I met a fifty-something-year-old guy after my presentation at a conference in Minnesota earlier this year. He told me, "My mom believed that her kids should always get a toy from her for Christmas, no matter how..." I expected him to finish the sentence with, “...no matter how poor we were.” But he surprised me instead with, “...no matter how old we are.” To this day, along with other gifts, she still gets each of her adult children a toy for Christmas. I wish she would have been there, for I would have liked to give her a hug. It takes a wise woman to know that no matter how old …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/8/2016 | - - -

Why We Went to Chicago to Party with 5 Million Friends

It was Kim’s fault. Thank God for Kim. The Cubs, after 108 years, had finally won the World Series, and they won it in spectacular fashion. (I can't believe I just wrote that!) THE CUBS HAVE WON THE WORLD SERIES. For reals. I am still filled with joy and brimming with happiness. But the thought of driving to Chicago for the victory parade never crossed my mind. Kim floated the idea after reminding me that I had a speaking engagement in Chicago a few days later. "Why not go down earlier and make it a long weekend?” she teased. Thoughts of snarling traffic and being trampled to death …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/17/2016 | - - -

Do You Care What Your Batting Average Is?

Whether it’s batting average, marathon time, or annual income, we humans love using numbers to measure our success. But what if we're focused on the wrong numbers? Here’s a list I made recently, charting my progress so far in 2016: • Meals shared with family: 280 • Lego pieces sorted: 1,376 • Daddy Daughter business trips taken: 2 • Strawberries picked: 173 • Tinker Crates assembled: 3 (with 3 boxes unopened) • Piggyback rides given: 37 • Bedtime tuck-ins: 134 • Bedtime stories read: 9 (Needs work!) • Holes of mini golf played: 18 • Little House on the Prairie episodes …

- - - | written by Jason on 6/19/2016 | - - -

Wonder Aimlessly

Summer ain’t what it used to be. At the risk of sounding like a crotchety old man a few decades early, the summers of my youth were not packed wall-to-wall with extracurricular affairs. Yes, there was Little League, but the days were long enough to accommodate no small number of other “aimless” pursuits. Playing home run derby in the tennis court with my friends. Exploring the ravine near my house as a pint-sized Indiana Jones. Sorting and displaying my baseball cards, and then drawing my own. It was the opportunity to freely explore the things that fascinated me, without the prospect of …

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