Column: Even if they don’t go all the way, how fun is it to be cheering the Bears again?
Ahead of a recent trip out of town, we asked friends if they could pick us up at the airport upon our return. Ubers and limos and remote parking are...
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Manker: Coming to grips with the costs of raising a high school student
Of all the things that change when you have a child in high school, some are more impactful than others. By “impactful,” I mean “expensive.” And by expensive, I mean,...
Manker: If you know what ‘you’ve got mail’ means, recognize Donny and Marie or remember the Mir space station, you are old
From time to time something hits you in the face to remind you of the many differences among the generations. Have you made a call using a rotary phone? Sent...
Manker: High school no place for old men with tired legs and cellphones
One trip through Naperville Central High School on open house night made it clear — there’s no way I could be a high school student in 2018. And not just...
Manker: How did the excitement we once felt for the space program dwindle into a ‘yawn’ from our kids?
Anyone who has kids or ever was one knows they don’t always take well to things labeled “educational experiences.” Take the same activity and don’t ascribe to it any stated...
Manker: End of summer lament — so much still to do and so little time before school starts again
Every year like clockwork, summer starts with the best of intentions. The promise of the adventures that await, the commitment to finishing myriad lingering tasks, the thought of finally wiping...
Manker: Big name acts at Ribfest, new entertainment complex could make Naperville a music mecca
Is Naperville on its way to becoming something of a mini suburban concert mecca? You might never have thought such a notion to be a serious possibility, with large, established...
Manker: Lessons learned on ballfield sometimes bring winning and losing into perspective
It’s easy to say the journey started in December, but it really began long before that. A couple of weeks before Christmas, the 9- and 10-year-old boys I coached on...
Manker: When children make their first forays away from home, the family dynamic changes
Amazing how any one child in your family being gone for a few days can alter the family dynamic so dramatically. We recently experienced this with two of our children...
Manker: It’s cold sweat time when your smartphone is suddenly gone
You might have had the opportunity to read these words well before now were I not without a phone for a couple of days. Let me explain. Of all the...