Looking at our past experiences through the uncomfortable lens of the present — Twenty five years ago, at the idealistic age of 18, I did what many of my peers were doing, and took a gap year. Guided by my loving and resourceful family, I found a perfect opportunity at the natural intersection of three pertinent facts — that I was raised Christian…

The pain of learning can tell us that we’re outgrowing our old shell — Dear C (age 5), Can I share with you a dream that I sometimes have? It’s a good dream that helps me understand myself and the world a bit better, when things are changing. …

Our children hold up a mirror that lets us better see ourselves — ‘I want… something’ You sit up in bed just after midnight, beside yourself with mournful fury ‘I want… something’ Over and over. What is it, poppet? What do you not have? I will bring it to you if you will tell me what it is - anything. Milk? Comfort? Warmth? Sleep? My list of suggestions is pitifully inadequate. Overflowing with self-disappointment, I turn it outwards.

Advice to my daughter on how to be her own person — Dear Cecily (age five), It’s a bit strange for a father to encourage his daughter to one day be a rebel and not do as she’s told, but that’s exactly what I’m suggesting. Please ignore some of the advice I give you. Please disagree with some of the things I…

A group of adult development specialists reverse-engineers Jordan Peterson’s flawed bestseller, ‘12 Rules for Life’. — Jordan Peterson is a controversial figure. He retweets climate change deniers. He rose to fame on a wave of infamy generated by his opposition to a transgender rights bill in Canada. …

As you get older, you might have to work a bit harder to find wonder — but it’s worth the effort — Hey C (age 4¾), When you find yourself completely overwhelmed by something exciting, surprising, colorful, delicious, tuneful, beautiful, funny, inexplicable, shocking, huge, or joyful, your eyes grow big, your mouth drops open and the rest of the world kind of disappears for a moment. …

This week, Campaign Magazine put Nigel Farage on their cover. By my reckoning, most people seem to feel that this was a bad idea, and I agree. I believe that we can learn a great deal from engaging with people who have different opinions, with whom we disagree, and even…

‘For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong’. H. L. Mencken, journalist We live in complex times. The world of work is changing faster than ever. Technology, for everything it connects and simplifies, creates new complexity. The decisions you make and the risks you…

I choose the conscious, creative anger of an adult over the fearful, limiting fury of a child. — My parents and I are having dinner, sat around one corner of their dining table in the house I grew up in, and moved out of 20 years ago. Just the three of us. It’s calm, warm, unconditionally accepting, the safest space on earth. Mostly these days when I visit…