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 future class parties, I am finally feeling like my kids are delighted to go to … [Read more…]
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 drive to a soccer tournament, the fighting is relentless. My first thought to silence the … [Read more…]
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 for having kept my son’s given name. I keenly remember when we changed our minds. … [Read more…]
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 children from activity to activity. The basic concepts are the same. Just as it rings … [Read more…]
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 a gift that conveys how much our wives mean to our families. Most of us … [Read more…]
I was quickly re-indoctrinated into a strange feeling of fatherhood inadequacy in the delivery room awaiting our most recent bundle of joy. About the time the nurse called out “8 centimeters”, the encouragement I was providing was as useless to my wife as the yoga ball used to calm the pain of her active labor. … [Read more…]
I don’t often get to hang out alone with my 3 year-old. I had that rare chance last week. In celebration I gave him the opportunity to do “whatever he wanted.” What he requested took me aback – with fatherly pride and a touch of sadness. My 3 year-old didn’t care to go to Chuck … [Read more…]
Last Sunday, I held my infant daughter in the knee-deep Florida gulf water, transfixed by the ceremony being performed in front of me. I watched as several families were baptized about twenty yards away. A crowd of people had gathered as a Pastor, one-by-one, dunked the willing participants backward into the warm bay waters. I … [Read more…]
I have not been a Prince fan although I certainly admire and respect his music. I can sing along to a few of his hit songs, but would find it difficult to name most others. I might even be guilty of identifying “Kiss” as “that one song that Julia Roberts sang in Pretty Woman.” I … [Read more…]
My six month-old is not sleeping well. You’d think that a five-time father would be an old pro at handling such exhaustion. I’m not. This Good-Bad Dad struggles with proper decision-making at 2 P.M., so thinking straight in the middle of the night is not happening. I’m hoping others can learn from my nightly missteps. … [Read more…]