They Have to Accommodate
Kids’ needs and wishes matter. Their creativity, their malleability, their resilience, their openness — those aspects of their character matter, a lot.
More than Metaphor
In my last post about mythology, I said that myth isn’t metaphor. Metaphor is a popular way to look at myth these days, which is why it deserves some pushback. I maintain that myths are not allegories of the human psyche. …
A Game of Equals
I see family life as a game. There are rules. There’s also an objective: having as nice a time as possible while making sure everyone’s needs get met.
Chill Out, Jo-Cam
The other day a friend of mine asked me what I have against the “mythologist” Joseph Campbell. Every time the guy’s name comes up, I swear; also, I love mythology. So what’s your problem, my friend …
No Double Standards
Let’s get clear. In different situations, different rules prevail. You take your shoes off in one person’s house; at someone’s else, you don’t.
New Series: Parenting Diaries
Lately I’ve been wanting to write about parenting. I really like the Positive Discipline approach, which pretty much saved me about a decade ago when I was moving to France to be a nanny with no …
Jesus Year: What Does It Mean for Christ to Live in Your Heart?
Asking Jesus into your heart is a dead horse of a phrase that’s been beaten by, I don’t know how many clichés. It’s one of the dearest and perhaps most important ideas to have cemented itself into …
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Cast Iron Pans: How to Clean ‘Em
Remember all those things people like to say about cast iron pans? How all you ever have to do to clean them is wipe them out, and also how they’re impossible to clean? Let’s set the record straight. …
Cast Iron Pans: The Truth about Seasoning (and How to Do It)
So you bought yourself a cast iron pan. And you want to cook with it. And you’re scared of the mess. Well, don’t fry up your over-easy eggs just yet. You’re not ready. First, you have …
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Cast Iron Pans: Four Rules We’ve All Heard, Which Just Aren’t True
At one time, I shared the not-uncommon nervousness that many feel for cast iron skillets. Those inclined to look nervously upon the pan are they, I believe, who find the idea appealing, yet have serious questions surrounding (a) the promise of total failure and (b) …
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