• Claire and Austin Brimley in Rock Creek Park in DC
    Parenting

    Why Do All the Damn Parents Die in Disney movies?

    A few weeks ago, Claire was invited to a birthday party at the movies to see “A Wrinkle in Time.”  It’s a movie about a girl who has to find her lost father.  Thoughtfully, the mother of the birthday girl texted me to see if I thought it would be a good idea for Claire to watch the movie, or if it was better to plan a separate event for our two kids.  I talked to Claire about it, and we watched the trailer together.  She was excited about the movie, and didn’t seem upset by any of it, so I let her go. But this got me thinking.  If…

  • Brimley children playing hockey in DC alley
    Parenting

    I Turned Out Okay

    People post comments on my blog fairly regularly, though most of them come from family and friends I’ve known for quite some time. Sometimes, however, I get comments from strangers. They might be other widows who’ve found me through social media or people who knew about Shawn professionally. But there’s one comment that I re-read constantly. It’s from a woman named Maeve, who I don’t know at all. Here is what she wrote (with a few minor edits): “I don’t know you or your family, but my father passed away from cancer when I was 9. My mother gave his eulogy too, and I still can’t believe what strength that…

  • Tommy Brimley playing hockey in alley by Brimley house
    Parenting

    Riding Bikes

    It’s been a long winter. I mean, we had a damn snow day just a few days before spring break this year. My kids have been trapped inside, driving each other crazy and having way too much screen time. My usual get-up-and-go persona has not been so excited this year to take them somewhere that’s winter-friendly, like the ice-skating rink, or Chuck E. Cheese. So now that the weather has finally turned these past few weeks, my kids have been living outside. Last week, after school one day, I got a text from a neighborhood mom asking if Claire could come on a bike ride with her daughter. I said…