I enjoyed your article. It’s good to see you now truly understand what it means to be a parent.

 Being a loving and responsible parent is the most important priviledge we will ever have.

Sharing time together communicating and having fun does not require the spending of mountains of cash. When we go to meet our maker I don’t think anyone wants their last words to be "I should have spent more money at Mcdonalds, Burger King, Wendys or Toys R Us!" 

Great article!  Finding a Father’s Day card that isn’t out right insulting is hard work.  Card companies have no trouble with a broad range of cards for Mother’s Day, but they fall flat for fathers and I’ve always wondered why.  There’s no market for wives / children who want to say how much they love and appreciate the man in their lives without some snide joke about beer, body odors, golf and/or duct tape?   Come on cards writers!  You’ve got to do better than "For all that you do, this card is for you"!

 I loved this article, and was moved by your statement ‘Sometimes it takes a divorce to discover what it really means to be a father. I know how true that was for us. Ever since our divorce my husband has become a better father, maybe because he has learned to appreciate them more. Or maybe because left to their own devices they have learned to bond together their way, not mine. However it came about, the love between them is true and strong & beautiful to see. 

Pluto is NOT a "former planet."  Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. One reason the IAU definition makes no sense is it says dwarf planets are not planets at all! That is like saying a grizzly bear is not a bear, and it is inconsistent with the use of the term “dwarf” in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies. Also, the IAU definition classifies objects solely by where they are while ignoring what they are. If Earth were in Pluto’s orbit, according to the IAU definition, it would not be a planet either. A definition that takes the same object and makes it a planet in one location and not a planet in another is essentially useless. Pluto is a planet because it is spherical, meaning it is large enough to be pulled into a round shape by its own gravity—a state known as hydrostatic equilibrium and characteristic of planets, not of shapeless asteroids held together by chemical bonds. These reasons are why many astronomers, lay people, and educators are either ignoring the demotion entirely or working to get it overturned.

Joel, Your children are lucky.

Thank you for sharing Joel.  Beautiful.  Hope you will contribute again some time.