Jay Payleitner Blog

Here’s a sneaky reason not to miss Back-to-School Night. Sure, you’ve been there and done that. It can seem like the same old blah, blah, blah. But you really should […]

Here’s the context. Rita is out of town for a few days. Hanging out in Phoenix with a couple of old friends from high school. Me, I’m just trying to […]

Hey Friends: (About one-third of the 52 chapters in my new book, The Newlywed Year, address issues common to the first year of marriage. Chapter titles include “Cutting the Apron […]

Hey Friends: No surprise. Over the last 18 months, every one of my paid speaking gigs was cancelled. To jumpstart that part of my ministry, I put together a one-page […]

Hey Friends, Let’s say we all sat in a big circle and started identifying the wide range of nasty stuff that has invaded our world in the last couple generations. […]

Hey Moms and Dads: I know it ain’t easy, but the goal is to stay one step ahead of what your kids need. I call it “anticipatory parenting.” Maybe this list […]

Right now, you and I really can’t have an eternal, omniscient perspective. That’s probably a good thing because seeing our entire future ahead of us would blow our minds. That’s also why, […]

Hey Friends: This pic made me laugh and I wanted to share it. That’s right. Rita and I have two granddaughters and six grandsons. And we were all together last weekend. My […]

Most fathers expend much effort to launch conversations with their kids — especially teenagers. But perhaps even more important than launching conversations is finishing them wisely and well. You probably shouldn’t expect your son or daughter to punctuate every conversation […]

With the recent passing of Norton Juster, I’m reflecting on the importance of The Phantom Tollbooth in my life.  It’s a must-read classic. Tollbooth was the first chapter book I read back in grade […]