Mike's Life – Page 35

Family

Lies! All lies!

It’s the age-old debate – is it OK to lie to your children?

Let’s settle the debate right now – it absolutely is, and it’s actually rather necessary to survive being a parent.

This point was driven home as I was at dinner with my family recently. In a nearby booth was a young girl, maybe three. It was evident that she is close to being potty trained, based on her repeated attempts to go use the restroom. After the 37^th attempt to climb out of the booth and go potty, I heard her dad say, “No, we can’t. Remember – the potty is broken here.”

Home improvement

Sybil

I had to cut to the chase. There was no beating around the bush. No soft sell. I texted my wife:

“The end may be near for Sybil.”

My wife sensed the gravity of the situation and texted me back the only thing that you really can in such a dire family moment: a frowny face emoticon.

Childhood Family

Thumb and thumber

As a parent, you rather quickly develop a sensor that gauges the severity of your child’s peril. For example, you can quickly tell if wails of anguish are a result of an argument over possession of the remote control and the screams of horror are mainly an attempt to get a little brother in trouble. But you can also tell when it’s something real. And I knew it was something real.

Home improvement

iMade an iMistake

It was one of those moments where life goes into slow-mo.

I was outside by the pool, partaking in one of my evening cleaning sessions. I find evening the best time to clean the pool, as I have yet to have anyone do a surprise cannonball at 11:00 at night.

Childhood

To the graduates

It’s graduation season.

I’d love to pen one of those columns that tells all the grads out there about the wonderful world awaiting them and all the perspectives they should keep from here on out. It would go viral and set the Internet abuzz and would be shared and e-mailed and eventually be attributed to Patton Oswalt or Chelsea Clinton or one of those guys with the long beards on that show that has something to do with ducks. But quite frankly, I think all of those have been written (and I personally think the “Wear Sunscreen” one is still tops).

Adventures Childhood Family

The past comes to the present

Post author By Mike Gibbons
Post date September 3, 2013
No Comments on The past comes to the present

So recently, we had some friends stay at our house for a couple of days. They were relocating from Ft. Lauderdale to upstate New York, and we were one of the ports along the way as they transplanted their entire world from the bottom of the country to the top.

Adventures Family

On the pitch

The game officially ended in a tie. But I walked away without a limp, so in my book, it was a huge win.

Yes, I have successfully endured a soccer game, having competed in the kids vs. adults game at my daughter’s school.

Family Uncategorized

Alarming news

Typical phrase you might hear in my house: “Can someone go upstairs and tell Yoda to be quiet?”

Don’t get me wrong. I would love to have the actual Yoda just chilling around the house being part of our everyday life, saying things like, “Dinner ready, it is” and “Walk dogs, I will.” But this particular Yoda only speaks in high-pitched beeps. Mainly because he is an alarm clock.

Adventures Family

Extra, extra!

It was just your routine Christmas Eve church service for my family. In April. On a movie set. With Robin Williams.

Yes, we recently celebrated about 30 Christmas Eve services – or at least parts of them – in a single evening, as my family spent a day as extras on a movie being filmed in Atlanta.

Carts

Cart attack

It’s been a while since I stepped up on my soapbox and preached about the evils of grocery cart abuse, but I think it’s high-time I jump on up there, get a chorus behind me and sing the gospel of – RESPONSIBILITY!