Why I am like I am. Read more

Now I understand these things as signs of a severely unhappy kid. Then, they were just life. Read more

It's one thing to write off my father when he's healthy. It's another to write him off when doing so hastens his demise. Read more

As a child, I wrote my dad a note most every night. I assumed they were long, long gone. And suddenly I'm in possession of a large envelope stuffed with them. Read more

If you want to learn how to finally and fully resolve your love-hate relationship with either or both of your parents, all you have to do is one simple thing: make doing that the point of your life. Read more

My dad just came that close to slapping me silly. I'm fifty-two. Read more

Yesterday I drove my dad to CVS pharmacy. “Turn left! Turn left here!” he boomed with near airbag-launching loudness. “Jesus Christ! You missed the turn! Now what in the hell are we supposed to do?” “Take this next turn into the exact same parking lot?” I ventured? “What are you doing?! Oh, God, now look what you’ve done! What is the matter with you? Is this the first time you’ve ever driven a car? How in the hell do you... Read more

So remember how I was going to ask God to help me figure out what I should do about my dad? Well, that was a great idea—except that it failed to take into account one tiny little thing I must have momentarily forgotten: my dad doesn’t do squat that he doesn’t want to. You can cry, beg, insist, cajole, argue, and compromise until the cows come home, and none of it will matter. In the end, my dad will only... Read more