Tag Archives: parenting

Five-Year-Old Exposes Truth About Barney!

Posted on August 3, 2023 by mitchteemley

My daughter was born smart. If she’d known English the day she was born, I’m sure she’d have explained to the obstetrician that he was doing it all wrong. By the time she was two that oversight had been corrected. … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

Do You Love Me, Dad?

Posted on June 19, 2023 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week So, I finally figured out my dad loved me. (Why are guys’ relationship with their dads so complicated?)  It wasn’t when I wanted to find out, twenty years after my dad died. But better late than … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , | 54 Comments

Love Is Like That

Posted on June 18, 2023 by mitchteemley

Both of my kids were unexpected gifts. Nevertheless, when my first child arrived I fell instantly in love with her. So much so that I was afraid I could never love another child as much. I needn’t have worried. When … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , | 68 Comments

Sacred Spaces for Stories

Posted on April 12, 2023 by mitchteemley

My Featured Blogger this week is Wynne Leon of Surprised by Joy. Wynne is an optimist who is “charting her own path.” She’s also a single mother whose children regularly show her “what it is like to be so fresh … Continue reading →

Posted in Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

We’re All Amateurs

Posted on February 20, 2023 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week Humans are, almost by definition, amateurs. Think about it: Just when you start to get a handle on being a toddler, you become a kid. And just when you’re halfway proficient at being a kid, you … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Quips and Quotes, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , | 41 Comments

The Secret of Adulting

Posted on February 17, 2023 by mitchteemley

As a kid, I learned the 4 Stages of Life from The Wizard of Oz: 1) The Dorothy Stage – When you’re a child a collection of quirky, confused adults will do their best to show you the way; 2) … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

I Forgive You for Not Being Perfect, Dad

Posted on January 10, 2023 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir Mark Twain famously said, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have him around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 57 Comments

Never Grow Up!

Posted on November 25, 2022 by mitchteemley

Grow? Yes, in all the ways that count. But “grow up?” Hmm, maybe we should rethink that. Gina Marinello-Sweeney puts it this way: “Maturity is so often considered to be synonymous with ‘adult.’ But I truly feel that maturity may … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Fierce Love

Posted on June 20, 2022 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week I’m not a violent person. In fact, when I was studying method acting in college—the tap-into-your-feelings approach made famous by Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro—I had difficulty inhabiting a particularly violent role because I’d never … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , | 45 Comments

Fatherhood and Beyond

Posted on June 19, 2022 by mitchteemley

Photo by Josh Willink Today is Father’s Day in the U.S. A day when I remember how imperfect my father was, and yet how good a father he was. Just as I know my children can say the former of … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments