SUPER-DANGEROUS MTA ADVENTURES!

By Joe Wack

What A Non-Functional Train Can Do To People’s Decency
People don’t set out to be jerks. I believe that. Nobody leaves the house and says, “Hey! I think I’ll try to be really awful to complete strangers today.” And yet, some of them achieve utter rancidness without breaking a sweat. ---  There was a problem with the 7 train last week. I take the 7… [more]

No Dessert February

By Joe Wack

For Once, Not Succumbing To Our Love Of Sweets
I don’t think we’re the worst parents ever, as far as our son’s nutritional intake goes. The kid’s never seen the inside of a McDonald’s. Candy is a strange and unfamiliar thing to him. He’s eaten about 1/10,000 of the Spaghettios that I ate throughout my childhood. (One test can of organic Trader Joe’s brand, of which he ate approximately… [more]

Whys Guy

By Joe Wack

How One Dad Handles A Child’s Everlasting Gobstopper Of “Why?”
There are a great many things about parenting that are easy to dismiss as hoary old pop culture clichés until you go through them yourself and realize that some things become clichés because they are universally true. Among these, I guess, you could count the new parents’ utter lack of sleep or the desperation a dad feels when he JUST. CAN’T. FIGURE OUT.… [more]

Hey, Thanks.

By Joe Wack

From Stuffing To The Central Park Zoo, One Father Reflects On What He’s Thankful For Having
The holidays are upon us, starting with one of my favorites. --- I can’t explain why I’m so fond of Thanksgiving. Well, actually, I can, but the explanation would not necessarily put me in the most flattering light. Simply put, I’m something of a glutton. And Thanksgiving was, growing up, the one day a year when… [more]

Snot Wars

By Joe Wack

What A Greased Pig Contest And A Toddler With A Cold Have In Common
I grew up in the country. Utterly rural. If I wanted to go to a tractor pull, I had opportunities. If I wished to tip a cow, chances abounded. One aspect of country life of which I never took advantage is the greased pig contest. ---  For anyone who’s unfamiliar with the concept, allow me to summarize: At… [more]

A Teacher’s Confession

By Joe Wack

Hoping To Avoid The Dark Side In The Classroom, Starting At Home
I’m going to shock you now with a truly stunning bit of news: Not every child behaves well in school. There. I’ve said it. I hope I haven’t blown your mind. ---  I teach, see. I have been a teacher for just shy of a decade and I have taught a whole bunch of kids in that time. Most… [more]