by Tobin Walsh
After hearing the news that a young boy fell into a zoo enclosure over the weekend, I instantly leveled my verdict: the parents were at fault. If you were in my living room when the news broke, you would have Continue reading Distracted Parenting And The Cincinnati Zoo Tragedy
My kids’ “Student Showcase” is the elementary equivalent of the ball dropping in New York City on New Year’s Eve. This night of fun at the school, like the crystal-clan, luminous ball, is the symbol of a year now in Continue reading As The Ball Drops On This School Year, I Resolve To Do Better
I’m guilty of lumping all teenagers into a dismissive pile of laziness characterized by kids who are smartphone obsessed and fast to trade physical activity for screen time. Having five kids that have yet to reach the dreaded teen years Continue reading How A Made Up Game Has Restored My Belief in Today’s Teen
I find there to be three elements to having Good-Bad Dad-Brain when dealing with my kids’ unending requests of me. #1 – Meet the request, comment, complaint or whining with immediate skepticism. #2 – Finding personal benefit in addressing the Continue reading Dad Duds: Three Elements of Good-Bad Dad-Brain
The acoustic guitar gathering dust on a stand in my guest bedroom is a reminder that there will be a day where I’ll get back to my dreams again. For the time being, though, I’ll be a good dad. When Continue reading Getting Over Fatherhood Dream Delays
It has taken until May for my kids’ school to, finally, provide the care-free elementary school experience I remember having. Between the recent 50’s themed dress-up day, the let-up of the previously endless worksheets coming home and the flyers publicizing Continue reading “May”-be Elementary Schools Need More Excitement and Less Homework and Fences
My kids have an “ON” switch for arguing that activates when their seat-belts are buckled. The endless fighting, unwarranted touching and talking over each other to “tell” drives me crazy. Whether a five-minute ride to the store or an hour Continue reading Dad Duds: Curing the Kid-Car-Fighting Craziness
Our referral picture read “Yosef”, but to us the little Ethiopian boy in the photo was our Camdyn. He was Camdyn until shortly before we traveled to meet him. Now nearly nine years removed from that time, I’m eternally grateful Continue reading Renaming Camdyn: Why We Kept My Son’s Birth Name
When handheld devices blurred the lines between work and home, there was a backlash that ignited a conversation about the importance of “work-life” balance. I see the infancy (pun-intended) of a similar movement for parenting balance as I shuttle my Continue reading My Fear Behind Parental Imbalance
The ineptitude of Good-Bad Dad, non-kid-centric gift-giving will be on display this weekend for many fathers. As each of us journey out to the mall over the next two days we’ll be trying our best to fail miserably at buying Continue reading Dad Duds: Shopping For Mother’s Day