http://spotlightnews.com/blogs Bill DeVoe is the managing editor of Spotlight Newspapers, a six-time New York Press Association award winner, and an all-around nice guy. Here, he throws all of that out the window and talks about the struggles of being a young parent. en-us 60 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:35:46 -0700 Pop Culture No one applauds anymore. I was at the circus with my family a couple of months ago, and virtually no one clapped for anything. A woman fired herself out of a cannon. Nothing. A http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1249565746 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1249565746 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:10:00 -0700 Pop Culture This column was written just after my son, Nathan, was born in September 2007. There were some difficulties during his birth that had us pretty scared. My wife was so scared she http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1248448200 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1248448200 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:10:16 -0700 Pop Culture Father’s Day is a largely useless holiday. Along with Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, it is a holiday that exists solely to market greeting cards and holiday-specific gifts http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1246475416 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1246475416 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:53:50 -0700 Pop Culture My wife is cheating on me. I suspect it started late last year, when we put in a bid on our first home. The process was a long, stressful one, and quite frankly, my wife and I http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1244746430 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1244746430 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:43:53 -0700 Pop Culture Despite what they say, you can go home again. If you have parents like mine, however, you may not survive the experience. In the course of purchasing what will be our first home, http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1244745833 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1244745833 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:38:04 -0700 Pop Culture On Valentine’s Day, I found myself standing outside of a public restroom with pterodactyl in my mouth. In one hand was a diaper bag and a purse big enough to sleep five. In the http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1244745484 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1244745484 Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:03:16 -0800 Pop Culture The following appeared in the Dec. 23 editions of The Spotlight. Why on earth it's taken me so long to post it on the Web escapes me at the moment. In any case, I hope you http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1236114196 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1236114196 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:45:33 -0800 Pop Culture Children’s stories are downright creepy. I tend to look at things very cynically. My wife gets angry with me because I lack the ability to suspend my skepticism in even the http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1233002733 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1233002733 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:59:37 -0700 Pop Culture This past weekend marked another milestone event for the DeVoe family: We replaced our first dead pet fish, an orange molly, aptly named Orange, without telling our son. The lie http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223049577 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223049577 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:55:42 -0700 Pop Culture The first day of school, I walked Kevin upstairs through the hallway and out to the schoolyard where his kindergarten class lines up every morning. At the entrance to his new http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223049342 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223049342 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:51:30 -0700 Pop Culture Sometimes you just want to mow the lawn. But when you have kids, you can no longer “just” do anything. You no longer “just” go out to dinner. You no longer “just” run right http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223049090 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223049090 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:48:41 -0700 Pop Culture This column is dedicated to the fine young woman who shouted medical advice at my son and I across three lanes of traffic as she was trying to navigate a minivan full of kids http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223048921 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1223048921 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:16:24 -0700 Pop Culture My son should be walking by now. I know he’s only 9 months old, and he barely wiggles his way around his play mat. I know the doctor says he shouldn’t start walking for another http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1218222984 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1218222984 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:23:42 -0700 Pop Culture What follows is a piece I did for this past Father's Day. While the advice is decidedly tongue-in-cheek, some readers took issue with me taking pot shots at Hilary Clinton, George http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1217003022 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1217003022 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:58:06 -0700 Pop Culture In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that I am not a ninja. I am not a super-powered robot, a deep-sea adventurer or a starship commander. I say this to you http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1215457086 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1215457086 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:03:15 -0700 Pop Culture Howdy, and welcome to the greatness that is the blog edition of Pop Culture, America's No. 1 resource for parenting advice. As I'm new to the blogosphere, I figured I'd start off http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1213650195 http://spotlightnews.com/blogs/wdevoe/view_blog.php?blog_id=1213650195