People often mistake The Hunger Games books as a thoughtful, but light sci-fi series about a young girl’s battle against government oppression. It’s really about the game of parenting. An exhausting race against time. You often have few resources and little support. Competition is brutal and the games are never really over. Never. When my wife announced she was with Tribute for District 30-ish, I immediately stepped forward to volunteer as the other Tribute. I knew she’d need me to survive. We would enter the Hunger Games arena as a couple. That would play well with potential … [Read more...]
Best Books for New Dads: ‘How Toddlers Thrive’ by Tovah Klein
' How Toddlers Thrive ' is the best book on raising toddlers I’ve come across. Shortly after arriving at the table, my family begins to eat. Within minutes, our 2-year-old begins to squirm and attempts to get down. He pushes away plates, almost spilling drinks and knocking over bowls and other table settings. Does that scenario sound familiar? How about this story? My toddler and I arrive at the playground and soon he is making new friends, one is a girl wearing a cute white fuzzy coat. The girl’s mother and I talk about our kids, their teeth, and a variety of toddler topics. As the … [Read more...]
Raising Strong Girls is Not Enough
In a vacuum, the notion that we dads and moms and other parties involved in the childhood business will positively impact the world simply by placing more decent, kind, confident, strong, and loving girls into it is a fallacy.
A Utopian dream. A marketing ploy. A wish upon a star. Raising strong girls is not enough.
Raising strong girls is not enough because a strong girl, even the strongest of mind, body, will, and spirit, can too easily be fractured into a thousand unrecognizable pieces, a glass bottle of glitter shattered on a Venetian tile floor, by a … [Read more...]Open Letter to a Frustrated Mom
One rainy, winter day in the recent past About 12:30 p.m. at Papa Gino's in Kingston, Mass.. Dear Frustrated Mom, I feel for you. I genuinely mean that. We have all been there. It's one of those days where nothing seems to be working out and the odds are stacked against you. Two young kids, a busy schedule ... all the stress you could ever ask for ... and you simply can't catch a break. Oh yes. Been there, done that! I bet every person here knows what it feels like when you get a raw deal of a day like that. It is just awful. Plain and simple. I've only caught one small glimpse … [Read more...]
Parents’ Phrase Book a Help in Translating for Your Child
The Parents’ Phrase Book by Whit Honea is exceptional in many ways.
Parenting books tend to either talk down to you as if the author can’t believe society allowed you to reproduce or take every thing so deadly serious you start to wonder why society allowed you to reproduce. This book does neither. The Parents’ Phrase Book speaks warmly, easily and with great humor and understanding, respectfully treating parenthood and childhood as the wondrous yet challenging times they are. Whit Honea, who has more writing credits for online parenting sites than Spock … [Read more...]