Tidal Pull
My heart lifts when I see my daughters cradled in healthy conversations with my parenting helpers.
Are You a Helicopter Parent?
Helicopter parents are well-meaning parents who hover over their kids. If something happens, heaven forbid, such as falling over, fighting over a toy, or getting a bad grade, helicopter parents swoop in and do everything they can to make things better. Sometimes being a helicopter parent is a good thing -- in crowds, near water, or anywhere that physical danger exists. Stunted Growth But helicopter parenting when it’s playtime, sports time, ...
Authentic Fatherhood Breeds Authentic Men
Fatherhood is to a son’s manhood, as manhood is to a dad’s fatherhood. They’re inseparable elements in the way fathers raise their sons to be men, because they reflect each other. A few points in a recent piece from All Pro Dad’s BJ Foster hit a six on the subject. Role Models Foster offered four ways to father their sons into manhood, introducing his argument with a simple: ‘Sons need their ...
My Adult World of Bean Bags and Boysenberry Ice-Cream
My adult world is full of rich delights. I am gifted with hearty friends who circle their wagons of calm and joy around me from time to time. Close by is the great peace of an imposing mountain with the settling sheen of a pure white coat. I can gaze towards the tower of dolerite while the nearby waves shush my racing headspace. My grown-up place features work that is rewarding, ...
The Art of Fathering – Butterfly Kisses
Remember when that song first came out, Butterfly Kisses -- the one about the father watching his daughter growing up? How soon the days, the months, and the years go by. My daughter is approaching 10 years old (going on 19). It seems just like yesterday I was kissing my daughter goodbye on her first day of kindergarten. My baby girl is growing up, and I don’t like it! Independence One ...
Are Fathers Necessary?
You might remember the fantastic Prager University “Make Men Masculine Again” video that we featured in our weekly Dads4Kids newsletter in 2018. It now has over 10 million views. Recently, Dennis Prager from Prager University put out a powerful video called "Are Fathers Necessary?" Sadly, it will most likely be shadow-banned by Facebook and YouTube, as was the "Make Men Masculine" video. George Orwell was right to say, "There are some ...
The Right and Wrong Way to Raise Children
Two weeks ago, I wrote about “Work Day with Dad”. In the article, I told the story of a number of dads who had changed their children for the better by simply hanging out with them. The act of taking your children to work, or taking time from work to be with your children, is especially impactful. This response from my friend Stephen, a very dedicated father of two young children, ...
The Grief of Fatherhood
When my beautiful and only daughter got married, I was reminded of the words of Enid Bagnold, “A father is always making his baby into a little woman, and when she is a woman he turns her back again.” At the time of my daughter’s marriage, I was sharing with a friend, another father who has two married daughters, my sadness and my joy about my baby’s impending marriage. His words ...
Not Just Cricket
At primary school, my eldest son was very keen on cricket. Big problem: the school was not connected into the local cricket team network. So he networked. Cajoling staff and friends' parents alike, he sweet-talked everyone into joining the competition. There were no teachers involved, little sports gear, no school time practice and no coach… Me? I was so sick with asthma until I was 12 that I never got the ...
