Earlier this evening one of my favorite little guys showed off the hole in his mouth where a tooth use to be. I wanted to hug him, a normal pre-Covid act I’m robbed of right now…but that very cute gap reminded me that I am the Tooth Fairy Foe.

How can any of us make sense of what feels like the choking sounds of a dying democracy, the seeming intractability of institutionalized racism, reinforced in the highest office in the land, and the unfathomable randomness of nature to inflict pain and destruction?

Keeping children (3-15) entertained over long summer breaks is the bane of parents. As one reminded me recently, it’s not just the challenge of keeping boredom at bay; it’s doing it in a way that isn’t a non-stop spending spree.

Financial education is not just about the money; it’s about raising good kids–happy and accountable.

Over dinner Isabelle explained her plan to her parents. “I want to make impact, not just a poster.”

It use to be you’d coach a child to look into hotel management (maybe Cornell?); engineering (MIT or Georgia Tech?); or a business degree (Babson or the Univ. of Texas perhaps?). Now the work of the future is about fusion, cross discipline understanding, and relationships with artificial intelligence systems that will make many of formerly sci-fi inventions possible.

As I use to tell it families tended to break into one of two camps: either you were a family who applied the fly fishing metaphor to money and kids; or you were other kind, the family that thought there was just one way for a child to learn. Usually I know better than to think in such stark, simplistic terms—but I’m flawed. Finally, as you will see, a story came along that reminded me of my error—and heartened me.