Month: May 2026

Growing up, my family always went to Oak Island, North Carolina, a tradition that still stands to this day. If you’ve never been, it’s not the polished, energetic, high-rise version of a bustling beach town. Oak Island is different. It’s quieter, more lived-in, and unapologetically real in a way that feels harder and harder to find along the Carolina coast.

It’s the kind of place where faded beach cottages sit on stilts beside newer homes with wide porches and rocking chairs, where golf carts drift down side streets carrying sunburned kids with sandy feet and melting ice cream cones, and where seafood restaurants still write their specials by hand out front while seasoned fishermen crowd the piers swapping stories about tides and bait like they’re discussing the stock market.

This weekend, I was reminded that even the best routines need a little flexibility.

At our house, bedtime with two young boys usually has a rhythm. Bath, snack, books, calm voices. Lights down. The whole thing is designed to gently land the plane after a busy day.

But this weekend, with my almost-three-year-old, the routine took a detour.

Before the books and quiet voices, we ended up wrestling on the bed. Nothing fancy. Just dad and son, laughing, rolling around, and making one of those little memories you hope you never forget. And I will admit, I was emotional that evening thinking about my little boy and how he will one day be a young man.

Eventually, we still made it back to the routine. Books were read. The room got quiet and bedtime happened.

But the best part wasn’t the schedule.

It was the adjustment.