Photo credit: Foter.com My son’s impending entry into kindergarten this fall is causing problems in my life. Not the least of which will be his eventual ability to read the channel guide as I try to quickly scroll past the names of his garbage programs. I need to make all sorts of schedules now. Schedules mean planning, and I don’t like planning. I’m supposed to know what I’m doing six months in advance? I don’t even know what I did two days ago, and that was two days! Ago! (I went on a bar crawl, so what did you expect? I’m surprised I’m awake right now.) But I’m a parent. Of a soon-to-b ..read more

I think that woman just called me a pedophile. That’s what went through my mind when I was once part of a panel of at-home dads on a syndicated talk show. The first question (more of an outlandish statement than a question) came from a mother who said she would never leave her daughter alone with a stay-at-home dad (SAHD). She was afraid a man helping her child in the bathroom would not be able to control himself. You know, because we can’t be trusted around a prepubescent vagina. She had seen some bad stuff go down … once on an episode of Law & Order. As crazy as this woman sounded ..read more

“It moved,” muttered George Costanza, the contemptible yet lovable Seinfeld character, in terror. He had been receiving a full-body massage from an objectively attractive male masseuse, and, well, “it” moved. I suspect I don’t have to spell this one out. If you grew up with “it” between your legs, you know it has a mind of its own. It does what it wants when it wants and, for the most part, we are passengers on the “please no one notice” train. The Seinfeld episode in question first aired in 1991. I would’ve been around 11 or so. This is a prime age for uncontrollable and inexplicable, ummmm ..read more

Baseball begins this weekend for my son and me, his coach. This is his last year in the league, and he made his goals clear. Me: What are you thinking about for the upcoming season? Son: We have to win a championship. Me: Well, every team wants to win, and only one will. I mean I want to and everything, but to say we have to… Son: No. If we don’t win, it’s a fail. It’s our final year, and we haven’t won yet. So, it has to be this year. So baseball wasn’t about the time we spent together. It wasn’t about him getting better as a player. It wasn’t about him getting exercise. It wasn’t about him ..read more

Looking for the perfect family destination this summer? Our family’s happy place is Hershey, Pa. — the sweetest place on earth! Home to Hersheypark — the absolute, best amusement park in the entire Northeast — it boasts 15 rollercoasters, a massive waterpark, and endless treats to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. Our goal is to help your family enjoy all the fun, thrills and food of Hersheypark. Plus, we can help you possibly get through the gates for FREE. Scroll to the bottom for a chance to win an epic family four-pack of tickets to visit this summer or later in the year. How do we ..read more

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Those words from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as an encouraging rallying cry for Americans navigating the Great Depression. But to an 8-year-old who got pegged in the helmet by a “fastball” in his first at-bat of the new recreational baseball season, they mean nothing. Sports bring out the best and worst in us, whether we’re fans watching our favorite team (go Knicks!) or participants on our church softball team. That’s a lot for parents to handle because much of our life seems to revolve around watching our children play spo ..read more

The drive home from preschool is a highlight in the day-to-day work schedule of this daddy, and it usually goes like this: Take 20 minutes to walk up or down half a flight of stairs, depending on which exit we take. Wander semi-aimlessly down the sidewalk adjacent to an extremely busy downtown street. Stop to look at “treasures” along the way — stuff like acorns and rocks and the occasional bug or cigarette butt. Coax children into the truck and buckle them into their seats. Slip into the driver’s seat and drive off [after checking email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram]. Halfway thro ..read more

This graduation season, I moved the tassel to the other side of my mortarboard for I have passed Parenting a Tween and commenced Parenting A Teenager. Where’s my stinkin’ cake? What, no moonbounce in the backyard? What a rip-off. Graduating a kid from tween to teen usually doesn’t register on either end of the celebration spectrum. That’s a shame. Having a child turn 13 is a special time for the child and also the mother and father. It also marks a turning point in the ever-evolving parent/child relationship. In fact, it just might be the most important time in both of your lives. O ..read more

Members of the Los Angeles (L.A.) Dads Group and their children at a recent gathering. Three leading fatherhood organizations are undertaking a yearlong “No Dad Alone” campaign to help more fathers find support and an understanding community. Fathering Together, of which City Dads Group is a part, The National At-Home Dad Network and Fathers Eve will cross-promote each other’s work to amplify information, resources and events available to dads through each entity. The groups plan to use their organizations’ platforms, including social media, newsletters, blogs and podcasts. The three organizat ..read more

Dads can celebrate and appreciate each others’ parenting work on the night of June 15, 2024 — Fathers Eve. The annual event, now in its 13th year, is meant to allow dads to have a chance to show gratitude and support for one another. This differs from Father’s Day as that holiday is for families to honor dads. Since 2012, groups of fathers have gathered formally or informally in public or private spaces to swap parenting stories, offer support to each other and help foster a positive fathering environment. John Francis, a co-organizer of our Twin Cities Dads Group in Minnesota, began the trad ..read more