As usual, something happened, very recently, to give me a reason to discuss this ever-present, should be obvious, often avoided, and almost always misunderstood topic. Though we all know what year it …
There’s a lot to be said for “the quiet.” It’s special, yet so common, that we rarely notice its intense power over us. It accompanies a great many – and many great – things. Still, as …
We all have days when everything just seems to go wrong, right? I used to call them my ‘drop it, spill it, break it days.’ It, somehow, makes us less frustrated if we just resign ourselves to …
Many years ago, Chatterbox talked about a conversation I had with my son when he was in high school. He was complaining that we still had dial-up. (Remember dial-up? I loved the beeps, whirrs, and …
For those of us who remember it, Michael Landon had a super successful television series called “Little House on the Prairie” based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder book series of the same name.
On Sept. 28, 2006, Chatterbox talked about there being no perfect time to start a family. It was true then, and it’s still true now. A family is a huge commitment for anyone who looks past the …
There’s an episode of “The Twilight Zone” about an avid reader whose wife refuses to allow him to read, claiming it’s a frivolous waste of time. The ironic plot twist at the end makes his …
Almost all children make their parents marvel at them, whether learning his/her first word or displaying some cognitive thought. Older parents with adult children marvel too; only the magnitude …
On Jan. 11, 2007, Chatterbox talked about a young doctor who was taken from poverty in Brazil, as a young child, and became one of America’s wealthiest, most famous, and successful doctors.
We all should respect the people who fight the good fight without pause. Some help accomplish great things that affect society permanently, as a whole. Some are little things limited to our own …
Recently, I found myself watching a film that we’ve discussed before. “Newsies” is a great musical that Disney turned into a stage play. Its serious side is child labor, and how the rich just …
Politics is a topic few know well; discussing it makes me jittery, but the state of our nation and our planet does too, even more so. Anyone who isn’t concerned about the condition of our planet, …
I stumbled on this June 2021 column, yesterday. Coincidentally timely, it’s totally worth re-reading: Parents and recent high school graduates are having the same issue right now; something both …
I remember asking, when I was a kid, why children didn’t have a “Day” like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The adults usually said something like, “… because every day is kids’ day” …
Part of putting our opinions on paper is committing to being quotable and dissectible, whether by supporters or cynics. Today, we’re on a limb about young Americans’ futures. Raising children has …
According to the U.S. Census, the population of the world is nearly 8 billion people. Also, according to the U.S. Census, the population of America is over 335 million. These figures include women, …
There are several ancient uses for the term, “going to pot”; all boil down to old food sources, alive or cooked, good for nothing but the soup pot. Here, now, is America, going to pot.
Independence Day is another name for what most of us refer to as the Fourth of July. On that day, as we commemorate the issuance of the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate. We have cookouts, …
There’s an old expression that goes, “Some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you. ”Here at Chatterbox we often discuss tolerance, diligence, patience, understanding, resources …
Trepidation. The word is more intriguing when we associate it with “intrepid.” The world is filled with those of us who are not intrepid. What separates those who “do” from those who …
