Benjamin Strong

As I sit at home reflecting on Memorial Day I can’t help but wonder what happened to the guys I went to basic training with. Did anyone see combat? Did any of my buddies die? I’ll never know.  But what I do know, as I listen to the Army helicopters fly over my house towards …

Continue reading Reflections on Memorial Day

Are you guilty of buying your spouse or significant other a bad gift?  Over the years I have purchased my wife a salad spinner, stuffed her stocking with Listerine Breath Strips (what the heck was I thinking?) and purchased concert tickets for a show I was much more interested in than she was. What are …

Continue reading Bad gifts

Have you ever paid close attention to the classic Christmas television program Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? Rudolph and Hermey are misfits and the misfit toys are marooned on an Arctic island. It seems people with differences are sort of dismissed. But what’s interesting is that the North Pole is actually quite similar to our …

Continue reading We could learn a lesson from Rudolph

Times have certainly changed.  My wife and I struggle with how to give our kids the same kind of Halloween we experienced as kids.  The Halloween of our childhood has sadly passed us by.  Instead,  the mall offers trick or treating, we cart the kids around to relatives houses, and we keep some candy in …

Continue reading Trick or Trunk?

I have never written about my experiences on September 11th.  At the time I was working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Urban Search and Rescue Division.   That morning we were watching the events unfold in New York City when we heard the Pentagon was attacked.  We could see the thick acrid smoke …

Continue reading Explaining 9/11 to my son

In the wake of Eunice Shriver’s death I thought I would share a recent debate that has been evolving within the Down syndrome support group my wife and I belong to.   The question is about inclusive sports for children with special needs.   Some people believe organizations like Special Olympics and Challenger Division Little …

Continue reading Your Special Child and Sports

My family enjoys many children’s performers such as the Wiggles, Dan Zanes, and Raffi. Recently we were introduced to Buck Howdy.  My wife was working so I decided to load the boys up and take them to our local zoo for the day.  The zoo’s barnyard area is contained and I can let all three …

Continue reading A Kiddie Roundup with Buck Howdy

My wife and I are preparing our oldest son for kindergarten.  This is a huge step for him.  Our oldest has Down syndrome and we decided to hold him back a year in preschool.  Now, however, he is ready for kindergarten.  While I am excited about the new things my son will be exposed to …

Continue reading Words Can Hurt

The other day I heard my middle son say to my wife, “Mommy, I love you as fast as an airplane and as high as the moon.” We should all love that hard. Photo credit: Originally uploaded to Flickr by Wilson17(newly remarried!) Benjamin Strong is the Director of Marketing for the United States Coast Guard …

Continue reading Random Thoughts On Love

My wife and I work somewhat separate schedules.  I work a typical 9-5 schedule while she works part time at a hospital.  That means I spend some time watching our three boys by myself.  When the kids get all spun up and I start to get frustrated we need to find something to calm us …

Continue reading I am a rock star!

Traveling for work I often find my kids a bit unruly when I return.  They are always excited to see me and can turn an already hectic time (dinner) into something even more chaotic.  If my wife is working when I come home I am often left to fend for myself while three hungry boys …

Continue reading Breakfast + Supper = Bupper!