Pat Kose

I Wish I Could Tell My Kids to Shut Up

I won a raffle at a local coffee shop this week (shout out to Sparrows!) and my prize was a gift basket of stuff. It was sitting out on the counter when my wife got home from work, and upon seeing it she joyfully exclaimed “Shut up! We won!?” While my kids were not thatContinue reading “I Wish I Could Tell My Kids to Shut Up”

My Kids Are Always Singing

Even before my kids were born, we always had music in the house. Records, radio, streaming, whatever, just something playing in the background. After my kids were born, we introduced them to music pretty much from the time we brought them home from the hospital. Music is supposed to be good for their little developingContinue reading “My Kids Are Always Singing”

Will Scoring a Goal Go to My Kid’s Head Or Mine?

Since they were born, I’ve used many words to describe my daughters. Athletic has never been one of them. I’d like to think they have always been averagely coordinated for kids their age, but their abilities, behavior, and general interests so far don’t paint them as athletes. My five-year old daughter, Evie, has fallen downContinue reading “Will Scoring a Goal Go to My Kid’s Head Or Mine?”

My Son is a Very Pretty Boy

My three-year old son has a lot of stereotypical little boy tendencies. He likes looking at big trucks. He likes to play with cars. He’ll walk up to you and randomly punch you in the leg. Not to be pigeon holed into traditionally assigned gender-based interests, he also enjoys the aesthetic of having freshly paintedContinue reading “My Son is a Very Pretty Boy”

A Dad Makes Fire

I recently took my three kids camping for the first time. My big fear was that they would hate it. They wouldn’t want to sleep in a tent, they wouldn’t understand that there is no TV, they wouldn’t be OK with a shared toilet. But they all did really well. Sure, they need to workContinue reading “A Dad Makes Fire”

It’s Official: I’m a Cool Dad

I never really wondered what my kids thoughts of me. Then again, I never had to. They are open about telling me I’m the best dad ever after I perform such incredible feats as blowing on their hot oatmeal or being done with work for the day. Low as the bar to impress them mightContinue reading “It’s Official: I’m a Cool Dad”

Do My Daughters Love Me Too Much?

I had always heard there was a special bond between dads and daughters. Of course I’ve never been a daughter, but I did watch a lot of Full House growing up so I’m pretty sure I got it. Now that I am on the daddy side of the daddy-daughter relationship, I can affirm that thereContinue reading “Do My Daughters Love Me Too Much?”

But Where Is the Real Mickey Mouse?

An important part of creating fun experiences for your children is lying to them. Some of them little – “We’ll only be in the store for a minute.” Some of them big – “Be good or Santa won’t bring you anything.” A major reason is because it benefits us, we do it to get ourContinue reading “But Where Is the Real Mickey Mouse?”

Movie Lawyers: A Source of Parental Inspiration

For most people, their own parents are the primary model for how to be a parent – good or bad. After that, we are greatly influenced by the characters we see in TV and movies. As I’ve mentioned before, the current gold-standard for TV dads is Bandit Heeler, but sitcoms and movies have forever beenContinue reading “Movie Lawyers: A Source of Parental Inspiration”

Have I Created a Middle Child?

As soon as we had our third kid there was nothing we could do about – we’d have a middle child. Stupid math. In my mind I tried to tell myself that we would fall into the traps of creating the stereotypical middle child. Having two older girls and a baby boy, my second daughter,Continue reading “Have I Created a Middle Child?”