Like any good parent, I often bribe my children. Any illusion that I had of my kids behaving just because it is what they should do has long been shattered. I want my kids to be able to go a whole day without one of them making another one of them cry, and they wantContinue reading “Trick Your Kids Into Being Kind”
Category Archives: Dad Thoughts
A Dad’s Letters from Hawaii
Travel has always been an inspiration for writing. I recently took a trip to Hawaii, and I’ve collected my daily thoughts here. While stopping in various gift shops, I noticed that Mark Twain also chronicled his own trip to Hawaii. I’m not saying I’m similar to Twain, though we can both totally pull off aContinue reading “A Dad’s Letters from Hawaii”
How My Kids Play: It’s All Pretend
My kids love to play together. For the most part. Does a single day go by without somebody getting upset over what or how they are playing? No. But a day also never goes by without them coming right back to it. And they do come right back to it. Almost like a language ofContinue reading “How My Kids Play: It’s All Pretend”
My Daughters are Liars
Watching your kids grow up is a crazy thing. You’re the one raising them, you see them every day, and in theory you know them better than anyone in the world. Yet somehow you still learn new things about them all the time. For example, I recently learned my daughters were filthy liars. Kids lie.Continue reading “My Daughters are Liars”
Second Grade Wisdom: What We Can Learn from Kids
It is no secret that one of the great causes of divide in our times (and probably all of time) is that every one is completely certain they are right. Their point of view is the correct one. Their sources of information are the truth. Their pizza toppings are correct and you can take yourContinue reading “Second Grade Wisdom: What We Can Learn from Kids”
My Son is Scared of Donald Trump
My kids are listening. I don’t mean specifically to me, that would be ridiculous. How would the dishwasher get emptied if I didn’t have to remind them five times? I mean in the sense that they are constantly taking in information, some of it intentionally given to them, and some of it they are justContinue reading “My Son is Scared of Donald Trump”
My Kids Don’t Know How to Watch TV
Advancements in technology are, for the most part, great. Take what I am doing right now for example. I’m sitting in a coffee shop using free internet that somehow is beaming its way to my computer. Full transparency, I have no idea how WiFi actually works or what the hell the difference is between anyContinue reading “My Kids Don’t Know How to Watch TV”
Teaching Kids How to Say I’m Sorry
A good apology goes a long way. A bad apology is worse than none at all. An apology from my children is essentially none at all. My kids are terrible at saying they are sorry. An apology from them falls into one of three categories – forced, insincere, or forced and insincere. For young kids,Continue reading “Teaching Kids How to Say I’m Sorry”
Do You Reward the Effort or the Result?
I recently helped my eight-year old daughter learn one of education’s greatest lessons – the importance of cramming for a test. Well, not exactly cramming. Its not like I had her up until 3:00 AM memorizing her multiplication or something crazy. I might be a bad enough parent to let her fall behind on herContinue reading “Do You Reward the Effort or the Result?”
There Are No Off Days for Dad
I was recently reminded of something about being a parent – you can’t have any off days. That is not to say that you can’t get some time away from your kids. My wife and I try to get out for date nights as regularly as we can, and at least once a year takeContinue reading “There Are No Off Days for Dad”
I Think Therefore I Dad 