Someone at the park handed me their phone number today. I’m planning on calling them tonight! If you are a little confused at this point that’s understandable. I am a 35-year-old man with an amazing wife of six years and three awesome kids. Why am I still getting girl’s phone numbers? I never said I was getting a girl's phone number: the digits I’m getting these days are of fellow stay-at-home dads. If you thought it was awkward to ask a girl for her phone number in a bar when you were 21, try asking another grown man for his phone number at the playground. It is not just awkward, but a … [Read more...]
Summer Goals, Routines Make for Kids’ Maximum Enjoyment, Your Sanity
School’s out! It’s time to get back to a summer routine. I’ve set a few rules and routines for the summer while I’m home with my kids full-time, so these summer goals are now ours: Screen time Screens and time spent on devices is always a tricky subject around our household. I like the idea of allowing them time to use screens each day for a limited time, but in the past that screen time bleeds into longer and longer periods. Our family usually does better with screens on Friday afternoons and weekends only, which is what we did all school year. We will likely stick to this plan. … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Graduation Ceremonies: We Don’t Get It, Either
My two oldest kids didn’t have kindergarten graduation but I’ve noticed it’s that time of year again and several schools around us are doing so. Since this curious ceremony has eluded me my entire life, I’ve been wondering what exactly goes on at a kindergarten graduation. Are there actual caps and gowns? Or just kids wandering around wearing ball caps and dresses? Do the kids write things on top of their graduation hats like high school and college graduates do? Things like, “The real world starts now,” “Party time!” or “NAPS ARE DEAD TO ME!” Is there a valedictorian? Is there one … [Read more...]
Forgotten Homework: Come to the Rescue or Teach a Lesson?
I’m sitting at my kitchen table, cleaning up breakfast dishes when I see it -- my daughter’s math notebook. There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach. You see, she’s at school right now. She left her homework at home. She can be disorganized at times, and she also gets very afraid and nervous if she doesn’t have her homework turned in on time. I could solve this problem for her and take her the homework she left behind. I’m going to be driving right by her school in a few minutes anyway. It wouldn’t be that much of an inconvenience for me. It would calm her down and make her feel way less … [Read more...]
At-Home Dad Wonders: Have My Kids Outgrown My Help?
Every year I leave town for a few days to attend a conference. In addition to my wife’s usual role “making the dough,” during these three or four days she also takes on my role: “running-the-shit-show.” While at my conference I always learn a few things, but, it never fails, I learn just as much at home once I return from my trip. For example, upon returning, my wife told me all the things my kids did for themselves without any help from her. Most of these were out of necessity as she was trying to get herself ready for work, but nonetheless my kids did them without parental assistance … [Read more...]