Single Parenting is Hard
07 Jul
Posted in stress 6 comments

Single Parenting is Hard

I’m a single parent* this week.

My wife is out-of-town, so I’ll be watching my threenager without her assistance for a good ten days. I’ll be responsible for feeding him and getting him dressed and getting him to bed and giving him his bath and telling him no and weathering his tantrums and telling him no and weathering his tantrums and telling him no and…

I’m not nervous about being alone with my son for a week; even though I’m not a stay-at-home dad anymore, I’m alone with my son all the time. I’m his dad and dads are parents too, contrary to popular opinion. The occasional bout of single parenting is part of the job, and I’m used to it.

But just because I can do it doesn’t mean I want to. Single parenting is hard!

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The Parent Snap
30 Jun
Posted in discipline 7 comments

The Parent Snap

I talk a lot about the tyranny of judgment on this blog. Because it’s the worst, in all its forms. And there are many.

There’s the judgment of strangers. There’s the judgment of Other Parents. There’s even the judgment of spouses.

But the worst judgment of all has to be the judgment of your children. Especially when they’re right.

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Help a Father Out
24 Jun
Posted in Blogging No comments

Help a Father Out

One of the lessons I am trying to impart to my young son is that it’s okay to ask for help.

It might seem obvious, but there’s a long-standing perception within some corners of male culture that asking for help betrays weakness. Why do you think we never ask for directions?

I’ve personally never been one for being macho. The concept is outdated, and even the word is silly. I’m teaching my son that there’s no shame in knowing your limitations and asking for help. Especially when you really need it.

Someone who really needs it right now is the founder of the Dad Bloggers group I’m a part of on Facebook, Oren Miller. If you haven’t heard his heartbreaking story, get your tissues ready. And then open your wallets. Because his family is in for a tough road, and is friends and fellow Dad Bloggers – a great, diverse, generous group I’m proud to be a part of – are not going to bother waiting for them to ask for help.

We’re going ahead and doing it anyway. I hope you will too.

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