Parenting – Comedy Writing Secrets

Parenting

The School Supply Heist

Getting school supplies for the primary grades is simple. Get the teacher’s list, take the kid to Walmart, and buy stuff. Savant parents skip the…

Mark ShatzAugust 10, 2026

Parenting

I Study Grief for a Living. The Empty Nest Still Won.

An earlier version of this essay appeared in YourTeen Magazine. I’m a death educator. My job is helping people understand loss, grief, and the emotional…

Mark ShatzAugust 5, 2026

Parenting

Ronald McDonald is my Nemesis

This piece originally appeared in Fatherly. Like many single fathers, I felt fast-food shame. There were days, with back-to-back events, when my son and I…

Mark ShatzAugust 3, 2026

Parenting

The Sacred Pop-Tart

The British love tea. Germans worship beer. Americans have their own national delicacy: processed food wrapped in silver foil. For kids, the Holy Grail of…

Mark ShatzAugust 1, 2026

Parenting

Signs Your Teen Has a Crappy Attitude

If your teenager says any of the following, a major attitude adjustment may be required. “It’s not like I’m smoking. It’s just vaping.” “Curfews are…

Mark ShatzAugust 1, 2026

Parenting

Best Father’s Day Gift Ever

Originally published in Fatherly What are you getting for Father’s Day? When you’re the dad of a young child, the answer is predictable. At some…

Mark ShatzJune 9, 2026

Parenting

Buying Baby Gear: A Rite of Passage for New Dads

Originally published in Fatherly Discovering you’re going to be a dad is life-altering. But you don’t fully appreciate your newly anointed status as a father-to-be…

Mark ShatzMarch 1, 2026