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Dads in the Mix: Loving Day

Joshua Lewis Berg — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:40:21 +0000

June 12 will be a very special day for my family. That is because it will be the first year we celebrate Loving Day.

Dads in the Mix: John Doe-Berg

Joshua Lewis Berg — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:47:34 +0000

I lost my identity. I was born identifying as a middle class white Jew. I no longer identify religiously nor do I identify as being white. My own family is “mixed” and, as I have come to understand, race identification is only a consequence of prejudice anyway. I am part of a human family. So, I lost the identity I grew up with or rather, I dissociated from it. Am I worse off? I don’t think so. In fact, it is quite the opposite. I now have an identity that is truly my own rather than pushed onto me by family and society. Having said that, I do realize others may identify me differently than I do myself and some of the things I am today are also things assigned to me.

2009-2010 Car seats compared – Safety 1st Complete car seat with Air Protect

Joshua Lewis Berg — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:35:33 +0000

We’re doing a roundup of car seats unveiled at the 2009 ABC Kids show, the major annual convention for baby and kids products. This year, the biggest story on car seats in general was in side impact head protection. While car seats have made major advances, this is still an area where more technology can save young lives. There were also at least 2 new seats developed to evolve with a child from 20 pounds to 100. In this series, we will look at the following seats: 1. Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 (previously reviewed) 2. Britax Parkway SG (previously reviewed) 3. Safety 1 st Complete Air car seat with Air Protect 4. Evenflo Symphony 65 5. Clek Oobr Today’s review is on the Safety 1 st Complete Air car seat with Air Protect from Tom Green of San Francisco, California. Let me start by saying that we’ve had our share of car seats, so for me, it’s tough to justify a pricier car seat, which the Air Protect is. However, I tend to prioritize safety & function, which the Air Protect offers in spades. And it appears that you can use the Air Protect through the baby, toddler and preschool years, so maybe it’s worth the investment. Here’s my quick pro/con list on the Air Protect: Pros: Side impact air cushions offer peace of mind with respect to your child’s safety if in a car accident. These cushions are also a nice head rest for your kids when they inevitably fall asleep in the car. Easily adjustable harness that you do not need to re-thread Great looking – ours is brown/orange Easy push button LATCH hooks which are a cinch to install Cup holder! Cons: My youngest child is not going to be interested in sitting rear-facing until 40 lbs, no matter how safe it is, so the rear-facing option is not a plus for me. Plus, rear-facing cramps their ability to extend their legs comfortably, or at all. Pretty expensive ($250) considering there are other highly rated car seats out there. I don’t have a newborn but it looks a little large and upright for the under 6 months crowd. I think most people would feel more comfortable with, and find more utility out of, an infant car seat for the first 4-6 months. All in all, the Air Protect seems like a great car seat for parents who are very safety conscious and willing to shell out the extra $ for the added peace of mind, especially if you want to extend your kids’ ability to sit rear-facing. I’m not sure I’d pay $250 for a car seat, but having said that, functionally the seat is easy to install/use and I like that it transitions through the different phases of baby/toddler/preschool. GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own. Share on Facebook

Dads in the Mix: Born Suspect

Joshua Lewis Berg — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:24:24 +0000

The IAT test or Implicit Association Test was created to test levels of unconscious bias. I encourage you all to take some of these test yourself and see what lurks in the hidden crevices of your minds or sometimes pushes its way to the front of the line.

Dads in the Mix: Holly

Joshua Lewis Berg — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:51:07 +0000

It's barely Thanksgiving and I already see holiday decorations around town. Let's start this season off with the intention to remember what matters in life and get along, regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof :-)

Dads in the Mix: Don’t Hate, Meditate (or Zip it. Lock it. Put it in your pocket.)

Joshua Lewis Berg — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:18:06 +0000

So, I am putting a temporary moratorium on political conversation, turning off the talk radio and tuning out the news for a while. That, in conjunction with my beginning the practice of meditation has made me so much happier.

Dads In the Mix: The Princess and the Frog Continued

Joshua Lewis Berg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:50:39 +0000

In a previous post I wrote about Disney’s upcoming animated movie featuring its first black princess, The Princess and The Frog. As the father of biracial children, I am excited about the movie and about the interracial relationship it depicts. Since I brought it up, I didn’t want to drop the ball so, here is a little follow-up.

Dads in the Mix: Teaching Tolerance

Joshua Lewis Berg — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:39:05 +0000

Racism exists all over this country and the world. The seemingly unanswerable question is “how do we fight it?”

Dads in the Mix: Unintentional Prejudice?

Joshua Lewis Berg — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:56:25 +0000

Being in a mixed-race relationship and the father of biracial daughters, you would think I have experienced prejudice many times. However, I spent most of my life as a single white male and so am not really that accustomed to prejudice directed at me. Also, because I live in a very progressive part of the country, I still don’t experience it overtly all that often. So, when it does happen, even in subtle unintentional ways, it really shakes me up.

Dads in the Mix: Is Barack Obama Black?

Joshua Lewis Berg — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:54:50 +0000

Is Obama black or biracial? Obviously he is both of these things. However, he is usually referred to as our first black president, not our first biracial president.