In Wild At Heart, John Eldredge explores the deepest ethers of a man’s soul and what motivates us at gut level. It’s written from a Christian perspective, but I’ve talked with non-Christians who got a lot out of it as well. Wild At Heart did a few things for me that I enjoyed and I think you will as well. God designed men to be dangerous. Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: To be a hero, to be a warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk. John Eldredge, Wild At Heart It had me constantly saying to myself… “Oh thaaaat’s why I feel that way”, “That makes ..read more

My Wife describes it as “the darkest time in our marriage”. Despite all the things I had to be grateful for, I did not handle the transition to being a Dad with grace. At 8 months pregnant, she was classified as high risk. About a month after the due date, I was due to report to a months long military school that has a reputation for being…stressful. Instead of rising to the occasion, I allowed the stressors in my life to turn me into a reclusive and selfish grouch- I was not there for my wife in her time of need! Ok, so that’s what not to do… here’s 5 ways I could have avoided sucking as a ne ..read more

Using easy riddles for kids is a great way to engage with children and aid in their cognitive development. Although these riddles are kid friendly, I challenge you to answer them without looking. Don’t worry, these riddles come with answers. Being a leader in the household means taking an active and intentional role in your child’s education. Riddles are fun. Kids like fun. Use these easy riddles to be a more present father and sneak in some brain workouts with your kids! I recall vividly going on drives with my uncle and begging him to pepper me with these types of brain bending riddles. I ..read more

I was one of the lucky ones who grew up with a great father. In many ways, I haven’t appreciated all the ways that fact has served me over the years. Nearly 20 million children in America live without a father in their home. That’s more than 1 in 4 kids with no father to raise them. (2017. U.S. Census Bureau) So What? Does It Matter? You’re damn right it matters. According to the 2017 study, those children living absent a father are likely to face a tough road compared to their counterparts who grew up with fathers in the home. Poverty. Children are at 4X greater risk of experiencing poverty ..read more

Fatherhood happens to be one of the most common states of being in the history of humanity. You’d think we would have all these myths busted by now… 1. Sympathetic pregnancy causes weight gain in dads Ok this one is funny. Did you know there’s actually a real term for having a sympathy pregnancy? It’s called Couvade syndrome and it’s apparently totally normal! Not so fast though, it may not be a 100% scientifically recognized condition… so you’re not totally off the hook. Just know that a study done in the early 2000s found that, on average, men gained 14 pounds during their better half’s preg ..read more

Laying on the floor of my closet in the dark, I was taking a minute. Being a parent at home with the kids right now is difficult! However. I’m grateful for a few things right now, because I know for a fact I have it better than most. I have more quality time with my wife and kids than ever before. We are fed and sheltered, more than some can say right now. Hard times give us the opportunity to improve our weak areas without the cover of normal life where they usually hide. Here are a few things we are doing in my family to keep Dad off the closet floor these days… 1. Going On Drives While we ..read more

Meditation is awesome. Meditation in a small apartment with kids nearby is less awesome. Shame on me for writing that, kids make everything better, right? Bottom line: I never thought my son would go for “meditation”, he doesn’t like sitting still. Newsflash: I was wrong. We recently started taking 3-5 minutes nightly before bedtime so he can participate in an activity that previously wasn’t “for kids”. We use the Calm app, but no app would do just fine. A few deep breaths, a few minutes of eyes shut. Yesterday, my wife even stymied the onset of our son’s meltdown by redirecting him into some ..read more

All of a sudden, I heard the gut wrenching sound of my four year old son scream out in sheer terror. There was no accident, no scary monsters, and no haunted houses present at the time. I had just taken him down to the lake to explore and do some “climbing”. Climbing to my 4 year old is going up and down the hilly tree roots of an old cypress tree, he’s low maintenance! During the walk back, I rounded a corner around a large bush, and he apparently was spaced out at the time, because when he looked up to avoid the bush, he didn’t see me. He instantly cried out for me! Within a second he was ju ..read more

Words aren’t enough to describe this story, so I won’t write many here. This video says it all and brings me near tears every time. I have no idea how Dick Hoyt behaves as a father beyond this video and what I’ve read here. His son, Rick Hoyt has been a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy since birth. Wheelchair bound for his entire life, Rick expressed to his father a desire to participate in a run being organized in support of a local lacrosse player paralyzed by an accident. Team Hoyt’s Accomplishments Since Then 257 Triathlons 72 Marathons 219 10 Ks 176 5Ks Various other distance e ..read more

Imagine for a moment attempting to avoid leaving a legacy. What would that be like? We could construct our lives in such a way as to avoid impacting others. Avoid helping, teaching, coaching, or investing in others. Leaving a legacy is not optional. “Dad, I’m having trouble with some boys at school, what should I do?” “I know you’ll find a way, we all went through it. I’m busy, maybe we can talk later.” We could choose to move from day to day, allowing ourselves to respond just like the father in the above interaction. Responses like those are commonplace, and frankly, there’s truth in the wor ..read more