Jay Payleitner Blog

On some occasion when you might consider strangling your teenager, please don’t. Because they might give you grandkids someday. Also remind yourself often that most teenagers are really just trying to […]

There are a ton of things you take for granted that would be empowering to your ten-year-old son or daughter. That includes stuff you learned so long ago that you […]

Consider yourself warned. Don’t miss it. Don’t go overboard. Find a nice middle ground. And for heaven’s sake get all shopping and ordering out of the way a week before […]

Dear fellow life sojourners: The above piece — begun decades ago and finished last night — seems more timely than ever. I coined the term “Carpe Annum” back in 1995. Its intended […]

Dear Creative Friends: Having written more than two million published words, you may be surprised to hear that I could easily toss my MacBook Pro out the window and not […]

When our son, Randy, was in kindergarten, he told Rita he wanted to be Superman for Halloween. How could she say no to that? Early in October, the two of […]

Generations ago, the boundaries were clear. He was the breadwinner. She was the homemaker.   In many ways, it’s a good thing those boundaries are not quite so clear anymore. Both […]

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 […]