Have your kids ever put their hands in the oven?

It’s a pretty simple question. Have your kids ever put their hand in the oven?

No? Just me? Fair enough. I guess you’re a perfect parent.

That happened when my daughter was 18 months old. We had the oven open for approximately 1.3 seconds but that was all it took. (Kids are like tiny raptors, constantly checking your perimeter for weaknesses.)

That’s what the first few years of raising a kid is like. It’s not parenting so much as it is protecting.

Protecting and trying to get your kids to eat something other than the chicken nuggets you used to judge other parents for feeding their kids. Do you know the kind I’m talking about? They’re sold in a bag that’s as big as a sleeping bag at Walmart?

Parenting is a weird, fun, difficult journey.

I’ve got two kids, one who is almost 14 and one who is almost 12. (They’re still in the almost age group. No adult says “I’m almost 52!”)

I’m by no means an expert. I’m learning to navigate things like social media with my kids and dreams and hopes and the future just like a lot of you.

Along the way, I’ve decided to share a few of the things I’ve discovered about parenting. Once a week, I’ll send you an idea that has helped my family.

The ideas will be honest, real and sometimes funny. To that last point, don’t sign up if you’re easily offended. Parenting is too hard to also add being offended. I don’t have time to be offended.

That’s it.

If you want the ideas, sign up here.