dad
Back in 2018, I was finishing my final year of college.It had been far from the best chapter of my life, so I did everything I could to graduate a semester early. I abandoned my plans to apply for a Fulbright scholarship and moved in with my parents temporarily.Now that…
I moved back to my Louisiana hometown from Biloxi, Mississippi, in 2023 after 35 years on my own. It was the solution to two problems — I was newly divorced with nowhere to go, and my dad needed help caring for my mom, who had dementia.It was supposed to be…
When I threw a party in Italy to celebrate my 40th birthday, it felt like the start of a new chapter. Watching my dad attempt conversation with my partner’s family across the language barrier, and my nephew playing with his nephew, I felt a joy I hadn’t known since before…
My mother and father, ages 95 and 90, respectively, are proud to still live in their own home.They enjoy a peaceful lifestyle that revolves around simple meals, afternoon trips into the English countryside, and reading the newspaper.However, their health has inevitably declined. Dad has had a particularly hard year so…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu. It has been edited for length and clarity.My dad has never tracked his sleep, and wouldn’t know what a macro is. He has never set foot in a gym, and doesn’t own sneakers (he prefers loafers). And…
My 78-year-old dad has had a 15-year love affair with Paris. Every summer like clockwork, he and my stepmom escape their New England home and make their annual pilgrimage to the French capital.Even though my older sister and I have done our fair share of our own adventures, we had…
The day my father died, it was a Monday, early morning. Normally, I would have been driving my daughter to school, but she was home with a badly injured foot. My uncle called and said, “Now I have to tell you that your father crossed over earlier this morning.”This was…
I was a Londoner and had recently accepted a job at a magazine in New York City. The new company paid for my father and me to fly to America so I could celebrate its relaunch, meet my editors, and search for apartments.Dad, then 69, was up for an adventure…
One year ago, I left my job to travel with my father. Neither of us had taken a vacation in years; he was a widower living alone, and I was a journalist who had prioritized my career for 25 years.A trip was something we had discussed after my mother unexpectedly…
My grandson has always been aloof with us. I tell myself it’s because he’s a pandemic baby and our bonding time was stolen. Why does my coming in for a hug make him feel uncomfortable? I assumed that my affection would be reciprocated by all of my grandkids. Wanting to…
