An increasing amount of what I say to my toddler consists of explanations and clarifications. This is that. No, this is actually that. This does that. This is that other thing over there. It's when you start offering true first principles explanations for the world that you realize how obscenely complicated things are. It's a … Continue reading On not knowing what a truck is
Category: Parents & Children
On walking into a sticky beer bar (or indoor playground)
It's my favorite Anthony Bourdain quote: I remember sitting across from [Anthony Bourdain] at the table at this sort of sticky beer bar and him saying to me, "Helen, it makes a difference if you walk in the door saying, 'I'm going to love it here,' or you walk in the door saying, 'This place … Continue reading On walking into a sticky beer bar (or indoor playground)
On why me taking parental leave is a good thing for my employer
For my firm, it’s a work week like any other. For me, it’s a non-work week—my wife and I are home from the hospital with a new baby and work doesn’t enter the picture. But somewhere in the multiverse, I am logging on in my home office and join that work week, despite having a … Continue reading On why me taking parental leave is a good thing for my employer
On (not?!) being ready for a second kid
As the due date of my second kid inches closer and closer, people keep asking me: Are you ready? We’ll…yes. Yes, in the sense that we have all the equipment—the stroller, the car seat, the diapers, the mental list of TV shows to binge. But psychologically? I don’t know how prepared I am. I remember, … Continue reading On (not?!) being ready for a second kid
On learning to pay a different type of attention to toddlers
As my first kiddo crosses the threshold from baby to to toddler, I've been pondering what that transition means as a parent. The biggest shift I sense is the type of attention you give them. With a newborn (and later an older baby), a parent's attentional powers have pretty a clear directive: Keep this child … Continue reading On learning to pay a different type of attention to toddlers
On remembering why zoos make me uncomfortable
Even though I've lived in or around Denver for four years, last week was the first time I've been to the zoo. "He has a thing against zoos," is what my wife would tell you. And I do, though my thing is not "free the animals" (as you might expect) but rather a discomfort with … Continue reading On remembering why zoos make me uncomfortable
On animals suddenly everywhere
“Seeing through a child’s eyes.” It’s one of those hallowed promises of parenthood—one of the reasons we put ourselves through the wringer with a child: an opportunity to see things new again. After a few conscious decades on earth, it’s hard to chip away the hardened layer of understanding that limns our senses like rime. … Continue reading On animals suddenly everywhere
Dear Quivers,
Dear Quivers, When our first baby was six months old, my wife had to go a business trip. Given the lunatic logistics of pumping during meeting breaks and overnighting milk from Florida to Colorado, the kid and I came along on the trip. A mini vacation! Except, a vacation isn’t really a vacation with an … Continue reading Dear Quivers,
On Tim Kreider’s The Referendum
When my wife and I told certain friends we were expecting a child, they didn't get it. I mean, they understood the premise and all, but they didn't get it. They were polite enough to not question us, but I could sense their desire to: Why are you doing this? I didn't have the framework … Continue reading On Tim Kreider’s The Referendum
Sleep pressure and its discontents
When you have an infant, you think a lot about sleep, mainly about how much you're not getting. Over the past four months, I've carped endlessly about my lack of sleep—to family, to friends, to colleagues, to dental hygienists, to really anyone who will listen. Sleep is something you don't miss until it's gone. To … Continue reading Sleep pressure and its discontents
Taylor Coe 