Rob Manker

Manker: School volunteer experience a great way to bond with your son

December 18, 2018 at 2:16 a.m.

Of all the things that make Naperville schools so great – high test scores, outstanding personnel, their proximity to a Starbucks in any direction – I recently experienced another fine...

Manker: Death of friend reminds us to embrace reason for the holiday season

December 17, 2018 at 11:26 p.m.

By this point, the decorations are likely out. Lights have been strung and gift buying is well under way. That can only mean that the holidays are once again upon...

Sure, there are bargains to be had on Black Friday, but are you sure there won't be regrets after the spending spree?

If Thursday’s the day for thanks, Black Friday’s all about regrets

December 17, 2018 at 9:23 p.m.

Whoever was the first to say we should live life without regrets obviously never experienced the horrors of Black Friday holiday shopping. Whether you're reading this just before or just...

Manker: Sharing Guns N’ Roses for son’s first concert — and love of classic rock — something special

December 17, 2018 at 6:57 p.m.

I think it started on car rides to youth baseball tournament games. Or maybe it was while I was working in the yard, music blaring from the Bluetooth speakers nearby....

Manker: For every new Naperville restaurant, there’s a memory of the place before

December 18, 2018 at 6:39 a.m.

Dinner with my wife last weekend at the new Miller's Ale House on Route 59 reminded me of our first trip to the new Andy's Custard on Ogden Avenue a...

Good moms turn to ‘bad moms’ for fundraiser

June 2, 2018 at 3:46 a.m.

If you're looking to raise money for your kids' school, bad moms can get it done. Or, more to the point, "Bad Moms 2." As school fundraisers go, the moms...

Don't underestimate the value of eating dinner together as a family as often as possible for as much the benefit of the kids as the parents, columnist Rob Manker says.

Manker: Family dinner nights a routine worth preserving, valuing

June 2, 2018 at 12:52 p.m.

The kids being back in school and the resumption of fall sports and other activities calls attention to a ritual we're again having a bit less of in our house...

Family’s move from Naperville to Houston reminds us how good we’ve got it

June 2, 2018 at 7:51 p.m.

During Curriculum Night last week at our younger son's elementary school, his teacher told parents of a surprise question she planned to ask on a social studies quiz the next...

Column: Mystery man gave a gift far greater than just buying ice cream

June 3, 2018 at 1:27 a.m.

Random acts of kindness have a way of sticking with you. One night about three months ago, I'd taken my elder son to a nearby ice cream place to get...

Manker: Baseball coaches can affect kids far beyond a winning or losing season

June 3, 2018 at 12:36 p.m.

If the outcome of youth sporting events were truly as serious as some of us treat them, you might think they really were a matter of life and death. Of...

All Stories