Dad Blogs - Useful Parenting Tips for Dads

SingleDad.com is offering coaching – 15 minutes free

Paul Banas — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:50:01 +0000

Our friend, RJ Jamarillo is offering coaching for single dads on subjects ranging from custody to what to make for dinner tonight. He wants to share what he's learned as a single dad with three kids.

... Finally, after countless hours of meetings, interviews and test cases; I am proud to announce the world’s first coaching service offered to the Single Parent Community using live “face to face” video conferencing. ... What makes it so unique is that each person can customize their coaching sessions, specific to their needs in their single parent transition. Give it a try or share it with someone you know that needs a little help.

Why you should NOT raise a reader

Paul Banas — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:25:52 +0000

Image via Wikipedia Everyone tells you to raise a reader. Read to them when they are babies, read them stories every night, model reading behavior. A great, or even good dad, will devote hours in slavish devotion to this idea. Well, here’s one dad who will tell you what the evil publishing scientists and lobbyists won’t: [...]

Thanks, but I’ll pass. – Chef creates breast milk cheese

Paul Banas — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:14:28 +0000

[From NYC chef creates breast milk cheese ]

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.

Piling on – Air controller dad loses job when kids do his

Paul Banas — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:25:25 +0000

An air traffic controller's stunt in letting his 9-year-old twins direct planes has landed with a thud - on the kids. The brother and sister are blaming themselves because their father has been suspended for bringing them to work at Kennedy Airport, a relative said Thursday.

...My knee-jerk opinion was "mountain out of molehill," but have come to agree with Ray LaHood that this is more than just bad judgment on the dad's part. It wasn't a case of him just bending the rules a little, and while nothing the kids did put anyone in danger, it showed a carelessness that could creep in if higher standards of security aren't kept. ... There are lots of professions where this wouldn't be an issue, but in these cases, kids need to get a simulated lesson on what daddy does at work, rather than bring them to really sit in.

Chile Earthquake shifts earth’s axis

Paul Banas — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:58:33 +0000

Now, this is wild stuff. The changes are amazingly tiny to us; the day is shortened by milliseconds. But it's still astounding that a quake can have a cosmic effect. The Chile quake is the eight biggest on record.

[From Chile Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth - Yahoo!

Mini-Review – Pocket Doodles for Kids – a good book for a plane ride

Paul Banas — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:59:59 +0000

Pocket Doodles for Kids is a fun book for kids who like to draw. When my daughter first saw this book at nine, though she fancied herself a budding an artist, it was hard for her to know what to do. ... It's a lot of half-finished drawings that give just enough detail that a young artist can add on to complete the picture. Depending on the artist, the end result can be a funny cartoon with a caption or just a completed drawing. This is not a coloring book, but a good idea starter for young (or older) illustrators.

Review: JumpStart.com

Eric Cooper — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:47:07 +0000

Computer details: Inspiron M1530, Vista Home Premium, 32-bit Rarely are websites for children educational – and if they are, they grow old really fast. I’ve been on my share of kid’s game sites, looking for something for my child to play (and learn at the same time – otherwise, we’ll just go outside, play, and get [...]

Sex after pregnancy – a national magazine wants to know!

Paul Banas — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:43:44 +0000

I would like to hear from moms with newborns (as well as moms with older children, for comparison) about how they feel or felt about sex for the first year or two after childbirth.

...Did you realize that couples who have sex less than 10 times a year are considered to be in "sexless marriages" (which would mean many postpartum couples are indeed in sexless marriages)? If you find yourself with a baby and little or no sexual desire, when (if ever) would you seek help? ... Moms with older children are invited to weigh in with their wisdom/experiences, particularly if they experienced a sexual lull but have managed to overcome it.

...Otherwise, all involved continue to have different expectations of what is "normal" for other couples in their evolution from adolescents to adults to parents.

7 Ideas for healthy snacking for kids based on Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Paul Banas — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:52:08 +0000

The best parent is fighting a continuous battle to teach good eating habits at least while the kids are at home, not too raise scrawny lactose-free vegans who can't eat anything and look like it, but to raise kids who develop a taste for things that are good for them, rather than those that just fill them up fast. ... Although the most wholesome eating pattern consists of three leisurely meals a day, and preferably a light meal at night, if you must have snacks, stick to fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and nuts, which are naturally loaded with healthful nutrients.

...Cream cheese , while still 50 calories for a tablespoon is still a kid-friendly lower-fat though it has a bit more fat than regular old cheddar cheese at about 35 calories for a tablespoon. ... While nuts are a calorie-high snacking food for adults, they are great for nutrition and some nutritionists suggest eating 10-20 almonds every day (around 100 calories). ... Each olive is five to six calories so should be part of a mix of other healthy snacks, especially since the sodium content is high at about 60 mg. per medium size olive .