Recently I was driving a route that I normally take when driving home, although I was going somewhere else. At the intersection that takes me to my home, I instinctively turned left rather than continuing straight ahead to my intended destination. My eldest daughter pointed out my mistake, and I responded, “I was on autopilot.” …
Continue reading Autopilot parentingGraham Scharf
Husband, father, educator, social entrepreneur, author of The Apprenticeship of Being Human: Why Early Childhood Parenting Matters to Everyone, and co-founder of Tumblon.com.
“I am the product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of the wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books” C.S. Lewis
Continue reading None of the right booksAs advertisers climb over one another to suggest Father’s Day gifts, it is wise to consider Emily Dickenson’s poem, A Book. There is no frigate like a book To take us lands away, Nor any coursers like a page Of prancing poetry. This traverse may the poorest take Without oppress of toll; How frugal is …
Continue reading The gift of a Book“If wisdom’s ways you wisely seek, five things observe with care: To whom you speak; of whom you speak; and how, and when and where.”
Continue reading Wisdom from 1881I have been reading aloud to my daughter from Still More Stories from Grandma’s Attic, stories of growing up in Michigan in the early 20th century, recounted by an aging Grandma. In one chapter, she expresses her recollections of her father, who had said he would confiscate her things that she left lying around the …
Continue reading A child's insight into a father's motivesIn both parenting and gardening, concerted cultivation is required to enjoy beauty. Both require patience, consistency and wisdom – and both can be tremendously rewarding.
Continue reading Concerted cultivation in parenting and gardeningMy eldest daughter has Shirley Temple golden curls and a winsome smile. She’s the kind that often garners comments from strangers like, “You have such a beautiful daughter.” And of course, as a father, I glow with delight. But that glowing has gotten me thinking. What do I want most for my daughter? And what …
Continue reading What matters most?