I believe theres a secret chemical thats turned loose when you have kids that says youve got to survive, youve got to be strong. That keeps you on your toes, besides all kinds of other things, when you have three little ones running around.

A working definition of fathering might be this: fathering is the act of guiding a child to behave in ways that lead to the childs becoming a secure child in full, thus increasing his or her chances of being happy and fruitful as a young adult.

In my case, a papadaddy is a father. My paternal grandfather was called Papa by my father who was called Daddy by me.

Because all writers are human beings first and writers second, my guess is that any advice for living with a writer is about the same as advice for living with a plumber or a refrigerator salesperson.

I once tried to raise two tomato plants, and they died in spite of the fact I fertilized them every morning. Duh.

Because I was born in the South, I'm a Southerner. If I had been born in the North, the West or the Central Plains, I would be just a human being.

As an older dad who grew up in a rural culture in the South, certain things were expected of women, and that included raising the children. But I think its just as important for the father to give the baths, to hug, to change the diapers, to tell the stories.