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After having watched Kung Fu Panda for the 37th time this summer, it is no wonder that your kids are now insisting that they want to learn martial arts. While the study of karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, and other forms of self-defense offer many benefits for kids and adults, parents often wonder if [...]
Category Archives: Advice on raising kids
[A DAD'S POINT-OF-VIEW] Summer Vacations Are for Parents, Too
July 29, 2009 – 6:59 pm
Remembering Chevy Chase in those summer vacation movies reminds me of the fact that most so-called “family vacations” are, at best, vacations for the kids and torture for the parents. I’m generalizing, of course, but most generalizations and clichés have a strong basis in truth. I stand by the proposition that we parents usually need [...]
[INTO THE DAWN] Mid Life Transformation
July 28, 2009 – 6:27 pm
Since April 16th I have been trying to ride my bike instead of drive whenever I can. I’ve ridden 900 miles and lost about 15 pounds in the process. My weight is down to 165, which amazingly enough is where I was when I graduated from college! Almost daily people ask me if I’ve lost [...]
Legos for Father’s Day?
July 27, 2009 – 6:30 pm
For Father’s Day this year, I received a stack of coupons from each of my children. Not just any coupons. These were coupons they personally made for me, mostly of chores they are capable of doing that I usually do around the house, or things they know I like from them. “Good for one car [...]
[TECH REVIEW] Safe Eyes Mobile For the iPhone
July 27, 2009 – 6:30 pm
As mobile browsing become more and more prevalent, access to questionable sites by younger audiences is inevitable. To parents, this presents yet another challenge in keeping your children safe online as well as preventing them from viewing not only pornography related sites but also sites with violent, cheating, and gambling content. Safe Eyes icon Safe [...]
[A DAD'S POINT-OF-VIEW] Spoiled
July 26, 2009 – 9:04 pm
I recently got in a debate with a close friend about his wanting to get his not-yet-16-year-old a car. “He’s done well in school; he deserves it,” my friend says. This same friend is financially strapped and in constant debt, yet wants to please his son whose many friends all have cars. My wife and [...]
Top 10 Things Divorced Dads Need to Realize
July 26, 2009 – 6:49 pm
Below are, IMHO, the ten most important things divorced fathers should realize as they transition parentally from “Husband and Father” to “One-and-Only Dad”: 1) You divorced your ex, not your kids Many divorced dads disconnect from their kids when they separate from their ex-wives, but the divorce can actually be an opportunity to re-connect with your children — this time on your own terms. … He’s the one who tells you when it’s OK to let your son stay up late, when it’s appropriate to be interrupted on the phone by a whining daughter, and whether a tense situation calls for stern rules or just an all-out, no-shoes family wrestling match. … 9) Your issues with the ex don’t belong in your kids’ lives Like the corn and mashed potatoes on your first-grader’s plate, your parenting should be separated from any conflicts you have with your ex.
Vacation With the Kids – On Your Own
July 24, 2009 – 7:00 pm
Despite all the press on “stay-cations,” a recent Jiffy Lube survey says that 88% of Americans will still take a vacation this summer. While traveling alone used to be the provenance of the beleaguered mom, more and more often, it may be dad who is alone taking the airplane, train, or Greyhound bus.  Some dads [...]
Good Morning
July 23, 2009 – 11:03 pm
You have to laugh at life. But sometimes, life laughs at you. Several weeks ago, I was driving my son, Jackson, to school, trying to convince him to eat his bagel with cream cheese before we reached our final destination, where he’d get a more substantial breakfast. This had become such a routine, it struck [...]
[A FATHER'S VOICE] Fighting the Instinct To Help My Children
July 23, 2009 – 11:03 pm
When we started selling our house and looking for a new one last year, I drew upon my years of therapy training and experience and my well-honed instincts and sat down with my almost four-year old twins and explained to them that we were looking for a new house. Every weekend we were going to [...]