College-aged young adults make their own breakfasts, carry their own chairs to the beach, and put on their own sunscreen. That leaves little for a praying college mom to do but relax in a chair, enjoy the ocean waves, and read a good book. What heaven on earth!...

When I lived at home for the summer as a college student, my dad was an imposing force with which to reckon-- all six and a half feet tall of him! He occasionally told me, "I love you," but more often I remember hearing him say in a booming voice, "Because I said so,"...