Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

Tag: parenting

  • Adjusting to the changes as court-ordered parenting time ends

    On my youngest son turning 18 and the changes this brings in both of our lives.

  • Getting the love we always wanted from the perfect parent we never had

    When we were small, our parents were godlike to us. They had all power over us. We probably thought they had all power in the world. This experience imprinted on us, and subconsciously we assume that God is like our parents. Better said, we project our parents onto God, and so expect God to treat…

  • Monopoly money

    I was feeling pretty good about my financial situation as I headed into the summer. I was paying down debt pretty powerfully and had built up some savings. But then August was unexpectedly expensive. I replaced my car’s transmission, rented a car for two weeks, bought a new refrigerator, and had some medical and veterinary bills. Bam! Within…

  • Fatherhood changes when teenagers are almost ready to launch

    I was so happy and proud for my sons on the days they started Kindergarten. I could feel them growing up as they boarded the school bus, their hands on the rail and their superhero backpacks hanging low. I’m sure my grin was plenty goofy as I watched them go. My older son was absolutely thrilled to get…

  • Reflecting on 20 years in Indianapolis

    2014 is turning out to be a year of many anniversaries and passages for me. I’ve been sharing many of them; here’s another. I moved to Indianapolis at the end of August in 1994. My 20 years here can be divided into two 10-year periods: before and after my wife decided not to be married…

  • Not squandering summer

    Summer begins when school ends. It’s so in my middle age as it was in my childhood, but only because I have children. Otherwise, I would neither know nor care when school ends. I wonder how I’d know it was summer. As a boy, I knew how to get the most out of summer. It…

  • Seven things I want my sons to know about making their way

    Now that you’re both teenagers, my job as your dad is changing. When you were little, my job was more about teaching you some basics, keeping you safe, and showing you love. Now it’s about slowly letting go and coaching from the sidelines so you can go in your own direction and hopefully find success…

  • Home alone

    It’s Down the Road’s fifth blogiversary! All month I’m reposting favorite stories from the blog’s early days. My ex-wife was happiest when she was busy, and so she always had an astonishing to-do list going. Saturday mornings she’d bounce out of bet at six and work hard and fast, a million things to do, all day.…

  • Getting the love we always wanted from the perfect parent we never had

    When we were small, our parents were godlike to us. They had all power over us. We probably thought they had all power in the world. This experience imprinted on us, and subconsciously we assume that God is like our parents. Better said, we project our parents onto God, and so expect God to treat…

  • Reflections in the snow

    The snowy season began a little early here in Indianapolis, with the first snowfalls in late December. We had a white Christmas for the first time in years. It snowed three times before I was able to shovel my driveway. The more my little car packed down the snow, the more it slipped and slid on…