Author Archive: John
Teens And Alcohol
Right now, I am in in very frightening position of having three teenagers. My son is 19, driving on his own , going to college and has a job. My daughter is 16 and driving under a permit, and my youngest is 13. Since they were little, I have always talked to them about drugs and alcohol. My position was not “if you drink” but “when you drink.” I am not naive. I was a teenager once and I know they will. I may not want to…
Real Dads Don’t Leave
I am not sure I could have ever found this spelled out more eloquently or clearly. Dan Pearce writes a blog about being a single dad to his son Noah–Single Dad Laughing, and his piece today, Read Dads Don’t Leave, hit the nail on the head in so many ways. I am not going to spoil it for you, but you need to read this. It is a no holds barred rant on three types of dads who leave their kids. It is thought provoking as well…
A Sobering Reminder This Holiday
As we approach the holidays, there are going to be more opportunities to drink and drive. Do not take them, it is simply not worth the risk. We cannot afford to lose one more child and a child cannot afford to lose one more parent! The Transport Accident Commission in Australia has been running very graphic public service messages for over twenty years and it is working. On December 10th 1989 the first TAC commercial went to air. In that year the road toll was 776; by last year it…
So, What Did You Eat?
Thanksgiving has come and gone–barely. If you are like me, and overindulged yesterday, you may be having trouble fitting through the doorways of your house! Hey, the Holidays are times for pigging out, we can always go on a diet after the Super Bowl! But I am curious, what do you eat for Thanksgiving? Are you a traditionalist or a contrarian?…
Rocking Horse Ranch Video Review
We headed up to the Rocking Horse Ranch 10 days ago and we could not have asked for more perfect weather! IT was a cool crisp Autumn weekend at the ranch with glorious sun shining each day! Trail rides, nightly magic shows and a blackjack tournament were some of the highlights! Here is the video as promised–can you spot yourself? Also, please remember to cast your vote to select the weekend for our Spring trip here. And special thank to my assistant videographer Katelyn for her help–her hand was…
Wow, What A Weekend!
Rocking Horse Recap The weather gods were smiling upon the 34 families who went tot he Rocking Horse Ranch this weekend! The days were filled with sunshine, crisp fall air, and trail rides. The nights were filled with laughter, shows and fun! Enjoy some of the photos and check back in a day or two for some fun video! And we are once again beginning to plan for the spring! This time, we will let our readers decide the dates. Please vote on one of the dates below (April 17…
And To Every Teen Must Come An Accident
My son has been driving for a while. He is a good driver–after all I taught him everything he knows. Yesterday, I sent him on some errands for me and on his way home the unthinkable happened. My son, the invincible one ran into the back of another car! He called me in a panic saying that no one was hurt and pleading that the other guy did not have a turn signal. I was so proud of myself that I remained calm, cool and collected. After all, everyone was…
Violence And Schools
Last week was a very strange one. My daughter is in 11th grade and witnessed a fight where a sophomore boy was beaten so severely in the school hallway that he needed to be flown from the school to a shock-trauma center in Baltimore. He was just released from the hospital and is home with multiple skull fractures, swelling of the brain and is blind (hopefully temporarily) in one eye. If you are interested in all the details, you can read about them at Eye On Annapolis. Maybe I…
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