Eric J. Perkins

Eric J. Perkins

Eric J. Perkins writes about Gen X for The Belmont Voice.

Generations: In Praise of Life’s Important Little Rituals

May 24, 2026
I write this column in the throes of “Maycember,” that hectic time of year when every minute of every day feels spoken for. If you’re a parent of school-age children, you’ve got concerts, plays, sporting events, award ceremonies, and graduations. Here in…

Generations: The Benefits of Keeping Empty Squares

April 22, 2026
I have a precarious relationship with my calendar. I keep a digital calendar, of course, but our family also has an old-school paper calendar hanging on the wall (this year it features photos from the Webb telescope). We all write our meetings,…

Generations: Resolving to Say ‘Yes’

January 2, 2026
I have the same New Year’s resolution every year. It’s not the classic, and likely most broken, resolution to “Go to the gym more.” It’s not “Save more money” or “Cut down on phone time,” though either of those would likely do…

Embracing Change: The Firstborn College Dropoff

September 24, 2025
I confess I was not looking forward to taking my son to college. It’s not that I wasn’t excited for him, but he was anxious about the change and I was worried about saying goodbye to my firstborn. I knew we would…

Generations: Please Give Me My Participation Medal Now

July 21, 2025
“I’m approaching 50 myself … and already know looking at some obstacles that I can’t envision myself completing without falling … but I’m going to try.” Those were the fateful words of fellow Belmont dad Matt Cassello back in February, and they…

Generations: Starting a New Chapter

April 13, 2025
Somewhere up in my 12-year-old daughter’s bedroom, buried within the piles of stuff that tend to accumulate in a preteen’s personal space, is a copy of Terry Pratchett’s young adult novel, “The Shepherd’s Crown.” There’s a bookmark in it, about two-thirds of…