Harley A. Rotbart, MD

With the coming of Spring Training, I’m reflecting on the changes in the game of professional baseball over the years - and the changes that come with being an aging fan.

See my latest post, "Age as Seen Through the Eyes of Baseball" at www.HarleyRotbart.com

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My latest blog post: "Strollers, Car Seats, and Other Exasperating Baby Gear." At www.harleyrotbart.com.

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LIFE IN A TANK

I collect old books and learn a lot from them. At a recent visit to my favorite used bookstore, a 1918 book by Richard Haigh caught my eye, both because of the subject matter (World War I) and the title: “Life in a Tank.” I have often thought of our kids’ as having lived “life in a tank.” Why? See my latest post on the blog page of:

www.harleyrotbart.com

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MY FIRST (AND LAST?) ChatGPT PARENTING BLOG POST

I enjoy writing. After more than 3 decades writing the results of my medical and scientific research, with more than 200 publications in those fields, I made the transition to writing for a general readership. For you. And I’m proud of the books, blogs, magazine and newspaper columns I’ve written over the past 15 years, especially those works on parenting. My most recent book was an updated and expanded edition of “No Regrets Parenting,” a book which in its day (2012) became a bestseller. The new edition, published in 2021, includes a brand new section on “no regrets GRANDPARENTING,” reflecting the new status of many of the readers of the original edition of the book, including me.

Now, enter ChatGPT. Everyone is talking about this new open artificial intelligence technology which can generate publish-ready pieces at the stroke of the “enter” key after posing a prompt. I had to try it to see if AI is going to put me and millions of other writers and authors out of business – or perhaps be embraced by writers and authors as a new way of DOING business. To see what happened, go to my blog page at www.harleyrotbart.com

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Our neighbor of many years passed away recently, a few months before her 101st birthday. She had lived a full and productive life as an artist, wife, and mother. I wasn't prepared for the emotions I felt as I watched her lifetime possessions disappear during her estate sale. The story on my blog at www.harleyrotbart.com.
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What's your dog's purpose? If you haven’t read “A Dog’s Purpose” by W. Bruce Cameron, or seen the movie based on the book, or read the sequel books, or seen the sequel movies…well, you should do all of those things. Bailey the dog has touched the hearts of millions of readers and moviegoers since he first debuted seven years ago. Bailey has also inspired many dog owners, me included, to reflect on our own pet’s purpose. See my latest blog post at www.harleyrotbart.com to read about our dog Koda's purpose.

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To moms everywhere, Happy Mother's Day! Writing about Mother’s Day is a little like writing about “America” or “money” or “religion” or “the environment.” So much has been written about some topics, every angle covered and covered again, there’s little left to add. What more can anyone say about Mother’s Day that hasn’t been said? Rather than repeat, perhaps using slightly different words, all the tributes and testimonials to moms that have been written every year, I thought I’d propose a fundamental change to the Mother’s Day ritual. For a new Mother's Day idea, see my blog post today at www.harleyrotbart.com
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For proof that some of what we hope our kids will absorb and retain from their childhoods actually occurs, see my latest blog post, "On the Road Again" at www.harleyrotbart.com

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THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Every day, it seems, new scientific discoveries lead to new scientific theories which call older scientific theories into question. In my last blog post, I posited that, like other “indisputable” theories in the history of science, the Big Bang Theory may have to be rethought. I recently received a note from a new friend and thoughtful reader of my book NO REGRETS LIVING in which he shared yet another reason to wonder if the Big Bang Theory is about to bite the proverbial space dust. The news feature my Canadian friend shared reported on a theory by Nobel Prize-winning mathematical physicist Sir Roger Penrose called Conformal Cyclic Cosmology. My new blog post is titled, "We May Need to Rename the TV Series." I hope you'll take a look at it www.harleyrotbart.com It just may have you rethinking what exists at the interface between science and religion.
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A good friend and colleague shared this with me today, an interview he and I did for Colorado Public Radio/NPR more than 6 years ago. I hadn't listened to it since then - and it, again, brought fond memories of our remarkable "Miracles We Have Seen" project. The stories we told about Melody and Jonathan were, indeed, miraculous, each in their own way. Melody just turned 10 years old - a milestone you'll appreciate even more after hearing her story in this interview. Sales of the book, "Miracles We Have Seen - America's Leading Physicians Share Stories They Can't Forget" continue to raise money every year for the charities designated by the book's contributors. Please take a few moments to listen to this interview - click on the "Listen Now" button on the top right of this link. HCI Books - The Life Issues Publisher The Leshne Agency Children's Hospital Colorado

Colorado Pediatrician Asks Doctors To Contemplate Miracles They Have Seen University of Colorado pediatrician Harley Rotbart asked physicians for stories of patient recoveries "they can't forget." He collected them in the new book "Miracles We Have Seen."

In my book, NO REGRETS LIVING (HCI Books, 2021 HCI Books - The Life Issues Publisher), I discuss the relative “credibility” of the Big Bang versus religious theory about the beginnings of the universe. I wrote that I believe in scientific dogmas like the Big Bang "until and unless proven otherwise." Well, recent discoveries may, indeed, have proven otherwise regarding the Big Bang. See my new blog post at www.harleyrotbart.com
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HAPPY NEW YEAR! This is about the time we start making resolutions for the New Year. New Year’s resolutions are a nice concept but risky business – if we don’t live up to those bold promises we feel like failures. For parents, this can be particularly tough, as we often make resolutions not only for ourselves but for our families, and this magnifies the chances of falling short and feeling guilty (We should have tried harder, done more).

For New Year 2023, I propose that parents avoid resolutions entirely and, instead, grant themselves ABSOLUTIONS. Absolutions are acts of forgiveness, amnesty from shortcomings real or imagined. The following New Year’s Absolutions are conditional upon your making one simple resolution – that you will always try to be the best parent you can. If you fulfill this resolution, you may hereby grant yourself absolution from any guilt associated with 15 inevitable parenting situations in the coming year. For those 15 Parenting New Year's ABSOLUTIONS, see my blog post at: www.HarleyRotbart.com
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GIVING THANKS FOR HEAT

It's been a while since I expressed gratitude for heat. This week, much of the country is experiencing a “polar plunge,” or “bomb cyclone,” with temperatures dropping dramatically into deep negative territory, often within a few hours. Here in Denver we went from a balmy 50 degree afternoon to a life-threatening minus 50 degrees below zero (with the wind chill) night. While only a temporary inconvenience for many, today I understand even more the desperation that devastating cold brings to many who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. Gratitude for the good things in our lives naturally elicits hopes and prayers for those not as fortunate. But hopes and prayers are not enough.

See my blog post today on GIVING THANKS FOR HEAT at www.harleyrotbart.com

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December means lots of things to lots of people. For many, it means celebrating family, observing holiday rituals and, of course, gift-giving. For all the kids and adults on your gift lists, I have 7 wonderful book suggestions. Okay, it's true they're all books I have a personal commitment to, but I do think they make great gifts. Take a look at www.harleyrotbart.com and while you're there, spend a few minutes reading my new blog post, "Thankful for that old basketball hoop." The Leshne Agency Andrews McMeel
https://www.harleyrotbart.com/thankful-for-that-old-basketball-hoop/

THANKFUL FOR THAT OLD BASKETBALL HOOP - Harley Rotbart THIS THANKSGIVING, I WAS THANKFUL FOR THAT OLD BASKETBALL HOOP A little rusty, a little droopy, and a little too high for our grandchildren, our old basketball hoop was resuscitated on Thanksgiving. Or maybe reincarnated is the better term. It’s been 12 years since our three kids shot baskets on t...