Parent to Parent: Indifference and mental disabilities

When I was 10 years old, my parents bought a small cottage near Cape Cod. I spent most of my summers there until I went away to college. Down the street from us lived a girl with Down syndrome by the name of MaryAnn. She was almost exactly my age.

John Engel: What a father needs - Love, support ... Google?

At 11:15 p.m. I am rocked out of bed by our Jetta wagon's blaring security alarm.

I stumble into the kitchen, my wife and kids apparently oblivious to the noise. I know the locked car in the locked attached garage is in no danger of theft. I grab the key, switch off the alarm and return to bed.

Parent to Parent: Keeping school from extinguishing a child's spark

The youngest of our three children, 10-year-old Mike, came home last month with a history exam on which he had received a failing grade.

Now, I have had quite a few screw-ups in my life. You wouldn't know it from my academic transcripts or report cards, though.

Our oldest child, Bridget, currently in her first year of college, has also always been a top student.

Parent to Parent: Saying 'I love you'

Finally, it's 8 p.m.

The pre-supper meltdowns, dinner-table antics, rambunctious post-dinner play, bath time, pajamas, toothbrushing and story time have come to an end - for today. The kids are finally in bed. The house is nearly silent. My wife, Lori, heads to the bathroom for a steamy shower. I'm off to the computer to read email.