21 Apr

Dad and Buried Posted in Lists 3 comments

Parenting Regrets

I still remember the night I got a call from my oldest friend and he told me his wife was pregnant. I’ve known this dude since the second grade (Turkey Hill Elementary School Class of ’88 represent!) and he was the first friend of mine to become a parent. It was a big deal.

I was young at the time, and drunk at the time (and maybe other things at the time?) and I had some strong suggestions for how he should raise his child. Living the single life in Southie, having kids of my own was still a long way off for me, but that didn’t matter. I had OPINIONS.

Even just thinking about it makes me hate myself. I knew nothing. More than 12 years later, I still know nothing. Nothing except the stuff I wish I hadn’t done.

Things Parents Wish We Could Get Away With

Parenting comes with a lot of rules.

Whether you’re a strict mom or a cool dad (or vice-versa!), when it comes to raising kids, there are a million dos and don’ts. Some of them are universal (do feed them, don’t show them pornography, do brush their teeth, don’t let them drive, etc.) and some of them differ by household (for example, you don’t let your kids watch TV, whereas my 6-year-old woke up with nightmares about last week’s Legion; to each their own!)

But in our weakest moments, and we all have them, every parent wants to ditch the rule book. Every parent wishes there were certain things s/he could get away with, if not for society and laws and potentially scarring/endangering our kids.

What kinds of things? I’m glad you asked!

15 Mar

Dad and Buried Posted in Lists No comments

Things Kids Love That Parents Hate

If you’re in the northeast, odds are you had a snow day yesterday. Congratulations, I’m sorry.

I live in Brooklyn, and thanks to Stella, my son had the day off from school, and thanks to the subways being shut down, I was stuck at home with the rest of the snowed-in Buried clan. The kids were excited (let’s just give The Hammer the benefit of the doubt), but the parents? Not so much.

Snow days are one of many things that are great when you’re a kid, but not so great as an adult.

03 Feb

Dad and Buried Posted in Lists 3 comments

How To Raise Successful Kids

Every parent has the same basic goals for their kids, no matter how different our lifestyles, parenting techniques, or circumstances may be: We all want them to grow up healthy, happy, and, hopefully, successful. Not necessarily rich, but self-sufficient and content.

Unfortunately, no one really knows how to make that happen. Sure, we have suspicions about what will work, and we do our best to enact parenting policies that encourage our kids to develop in the ways we want them to, but when it comes down to it, we’re all guessing.

Well, most of us are.

13 Jan

Dad and Buried Posted in Lists 4 comments

Things I Look For In Other Parents

Can’t we all just get along? Yeah, no. Especially not us parents.

We all parent differently. Even if our general philosophies are the same, we still parent differently, because we’re different people who have unique children. There is no blueprint we all follow because there’s no blueprint period. Real parenting isn’t about planning, it’s about adapting and improvising, and handling all the nonsense your kids throw at you.

So I’m not concerned if other people have different parenting styles from me. I already know nearly everyone does. Even my own wife! But there are a handful of qualities I look for in other parents, qualities that, if you have them, make me confident we’ll get along.

Dad and Buried

Category: Lists

Parenting Regrets

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Things Parents Wish We Could Get Away With

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Things Kids Love That Parents Hate

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How To Raise Successful Kids

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Things I Look For In Other Parents

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