islandparent Archives for David Leach
David Leach
Up (and Down) the Creek
Our family lives not too far from Bowker Creek. We pass over its hidden waters or walk along its concrete banks several times a...
Love in the Time of COVID-19
I’d planned to write this column about our family’s new puppy. I was going to confess how, against all good parenting advice, we gave...
Heart, Broken
Recently, as I was flicking through photos on my iPhone, I stumbled across a pair of back-to-back selfies I’d taken last May. In the...
A Family’s Life in Exile
I write this column not from my usual perch: a cramped corner desk in our kids’ playroom, atop an inflated Swiss ball to ease...
It’s Not Your Call
For the past three summers, ever since he was 11, our son has worked as a baseball umpire. As a job, it’s a step...
Arms the Boy
One afternoon during March Break, my son and I drove across town, parked along a side street and knocked on a stranger’s door. We...
Choosing Their Own Adventures
Both our kids are now in middle school, and when I was their age, I got hooked on Choose Your Own Adventure books—a fad...