Life – Roots & Leaves

Stories from family life, music memories, and the generational journey

Last night at Target, as I worked through my usual shift, my thoughts drifted to Andrew, Meaghan, and little Oliver and the perilous but wonderful journey of parenthood they’ve begun.

We’ve taken that trip four times—maybe we’re still on it—and somehow, I think we’ve done pretty well so far. But raising kids isn’t easy. There are so many opportunities to say the wrong thing or take the wrong action. All you can do is:

• Keep them safe
• Guide them toward strong moral character
• Love them unconditionally

I used to tell my kids, “You know what’s right and what’s wrong—so do the right thing!”
And through every mistake and misstep, one truth never changed: you may not like every choice they make, but you never stop loving them.

So to Andrew and Meaghan, I say: Good luck! I know you already know the right things to do to create a loving and nurturing environment for Oliver. Beyond that… you hope, you guide, and you love.

Roots – Songs That Shaped My Parenting Journey

Certain songs have been with me through every stage of this journey. They’re part of my life’s roots—reminding me what it meant to be a child, a parent, and now a grandparent.

1. The Younger Generation – John Sebastian / The Lovin’ Spoonful
Back in college, a little rebellious, this song always made me stop and think about life from the parent’s side.

2. Father and Son – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)
By the mid‑70s, this song felt like my own inner dialogue—remembering my father’s words while thinking about my own kids.

3. Child’s Song – Tom Rush
As my kids grew, this song became the soundtrack to letting go, trusting that the roots we gave them were enough.

Leaves Update – 11 Years Later

Time flies. That tiny little Oliver I wrote about back then?
– He’s now 11 years old,
– Taller than his mom,
– And quickly catching up to his dad!

And you know what? Andrew and Meaghan have done a wonderful job.
The advice, hopes, and songs I shared all those years ago seem to have taken root—watching Oliver grow into the next branch of our family tree has been pure joy.

Another Leaf – “Child’s Song” in Real Life

Thinking back, Child’s Song wasn’t just an abstract lyric for us.
When we dropped Andrew off at Kean University, our first to leave home for college, I cued up Tom Rush’s Child’s Song in the car.

Halfway through, my usually stoic wife turned to me and said,
“Please… turn that off.”

And she was right.
– That song hits differently when the moment is real.
– Letting go is never easy, even when you know it’s the right thing.

It’s one of those moments where music stops being just a song and becomes the soundtrack to life—painful, beautiful, and unforgettable.

🌱 Life grows in roots and leaves.
More Life Posts →

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So sometime this month, my wife and I will become grandparents for the first time, when my son Andrew and his wife Meaghan have their baby, Oliver Edward Karn!!

Well, it’s actually Meaghan doing all the work right now and Andrew just gets the congratulations!! A couple of weeks ago, they had Meaghan’s baby shower.and Oliver’s gifts from Andrew’s brothers and sister and my wife and I were books and not just any books, but ones that were special to us.

The kids picked ones that were read to them and my wife and I picked either ones that were read to us or ones that we read to the kids! After my wife, whose idea it was first announced the idea. Peter immediately said “I’ll get Where the Wild Things Are” – though Bossy Boots may have been a better choice! What surprised my wife and I, was the first book that Elizabeth picked, which was Abiyoyo! The picture book based on the Pete Seeger song….

Four out of the five books that I gave Oliver were ones that I read to the kids. The only one that I could think of from my childhood was The Little Engine that Could. I remember that my mother’s mother always read that one to me!! Here’s my other four….

In the Night Kitchen – Maurice Sendak –  I always loved to read this one to the kids and I think that the controversy over the nudity of Mickey is ridiculous!

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola – I always enjoyed the mayhem created by Strega Nona helper Big Anthony when he does what he is not supposed to do!

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher – Beatrix Potter –  I had to include a Beatrix Potter book on my list I think we wore out all the copies of the many books that we had!! This one was always a favorite but they are all great!!

Runaway Bunny –  Margaret Wise Brown – Now this pick was a little controversial only in that when my wife told me that it was one of the books I had on my list. I didn’t believe her. I thought that the fifth book on my list was Ezra Jack Keats’ Maggie and the Pirate and it wasn’t until she showed me my list that I believed her!! But I’m glad it is on the list because it’s a great book that talks of parental love!!

Other books included Ezra Jack Keats. The Snowy Day from Elizabeth. Gregory the Terrible Eater and The Tomten from Nick and Noisy Nora, Max’s Toys, and The Tale of Miss Moppet another Beatrix Potter favorite!

So Oliver we hope you enjoy these books, which are the start of a library that I know will get bigger and bigger, because you know Oliver, you can never have too many books!!

Now the reason that this all came to mind today is that I was looking at videos of Doc Watson’s music because today is his birthday (video to come soon) and while I was thinking about Doc – the other folksinger that came to mind was the late ( I hate to write that) Pete Seeger and I went and found this video taken from the show Reading Rainbow with Pete telling his tale of Abiyoyo!!1

Postscript, 2025: My daughter recently read In the Night Kitchen to my granddaughter Emma — and, true to form, Emma didn’t bat an eye at Mickey’s lack of clothes! Some things age better than the headlines.

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So Eli came home with her and eventually back to her apartment in Delaware. Eli had been fixed only a few days prior to Elizabeth adopting him and last week he developed a sore around one of the stitches and wouldn’t leave it alone. So Elizabeth took him to the Vet. On her way there Elizabeth had this premonition that the vet would tell her that Eli was actually a girl cat, This had happened to us years ago when Abigail and Lucy went to the vet and came home James and Fenwick!! It wasn’t long after arriving at the vet’s office that Elizabeth was informed by the technician that Eli appeared her to be a girl cat a fact that was shortly confirmed by the Vet!! So Eli became Ellie and to protect her from getting the sore infected she was given a cone, not one of those normal cone but an extra special fancy model……

And now she is internet famous as her picture has made it to Reddit!

Our little kitten needed a cone. This is the smallest one they had.

This moornimy daughter found this in her Twitter feed……

This kitten loves his new rain coat! pic.twitter.com/BqB7JkSrwN

Ah, the world gets smaller and smaller!!

Speaking of Internet famous my wife’s handmade Christmas Ornaments like the one above should be famous, too! Check Out Her work at her Facebook Coventry Market Page here

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