You have picked out your daycare. Now the time has come for your child to start. From experience, it isn’t easy -- for you or your little one. I’ve made the first drop-off twice now. Many emotions run through you as you leave your child with people you barely know. For the most part, nerves take over. You wonder how your child will react to when you leave him to start daycare with this strange person for an entire day. Will he cry all day? You wonder if your boss is going to think you are an emotional wreck, especially if you are returning to work that day for the first time in weeks, … [Read more...]
About Brandon Billinger
Pick the Best Daycare Option for Your Child, You with These Tips
Unless you or your partner plan to be a stay-at-home-parent, one of the most significant decisions you will make as a parent is who will be taking care of your child when you are at work. That's often 40-plus hours a week of a stranger raising your child. For most parents, that means picking the best daycare option you can. From my experience, as we looked for daycare for two children, several factors should be considered. Start looking for best daycare option NOW! The reality is, depending on where you live, there could a waiting list longer than 10 months to get into a daycare … [Read more...]
To My Unborn Son: Here are My Fears, My Hopes, of Being That Dad for You
Son, We haven’t met and yet I’ve held you as close as I can. Even though our eyes haven’t locked, you still have me wrapped around your little finger. You might have heard my voice already but have no clue who it is. I am someone who will play a rather significant role in your life. I am your dad. That’s right. That guy with brown eyes, strong arms and a loving heart. That guy who looks like he knows what to do when it comes to parenting but yet it is obvious he really has no clue. I’m the guy who enjoys watching baseball and reading a good book. I’m also that guy who will get down … [Read more...]
SAHD Truth is I Couldn’t Hack It as an At-Home Dad
I had grand visions for my life three years ago. Since my wife was a just year away from graduating law school and thus making the big bucks, these visions involved me staying at home with my son. We would spend our time doing fun projects, going to the park, playdates and day runs to Target and Costco. Then life hit. I was unexpectedly, and probably a few years sooner than I thought, forced into being a stay-at-home dad. I was laid off, and with a wife still going through school (because I told her that it was not the time to change her direction in life), I need to also find a … [Read more...]
Modern Dad Issues Focus of NYC Summit, Annual ‘New Dad’ Report
The modern dad took center stage last week in anticipation of Father’s Day 2017 with a one-day summit in New York City on the role of fathers around the world and with the release of the latest annual “new dad report” from Boston College Center for Work & Family researchers. The first-ever Dads + SocialGood conference on June 13 brought to Manhattan leading experts, public figures, activists and parents to discuss men, their families and how to support their livelihood. Father and family health as well as the ongoing battle to improve parental leave policies in the United States proved … [Read more...]