It happened when we were standing in line to see Pee-wee Herman. My mother-in-law’s Christmas present to us was VIP tickets to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure on its 35th anniversary plus a photo opportunity with Paul Reubens at Atlanta’s Tabernacle. That's when the push notifications started: Fulton County schools, cancelled; the NCAA basketball tournament (that was to be played a few blocks from where we stood), not happening; Disneyland closed for the fourth time in 65 years; major league soccer, baseball, basketball, all done because of the coronavirus outbreak in our nation. It was time to … [Read more...]
Raising a Daughter Special Challenge for Divorced Dad
Editor’s Note: Orlando Dads Group co-organizer Flor Mercado spoke at the recent Dad 2.0 Summit as a featured “Spotlight” reader. He read this piece advising divorced/single fathers raising children, especially daughters, to the audience in Washington, D.C. A version of this piece first appeared on his website Dad Style 99. Getting divorced is something no one plans on when they get married. Having a child in that marriage adds a whole different level of challenges. This is a difficult step for either parent to go through. All you can do is hope to have a civil, respectful relationship … [Read more...]
Parenting Siblings Requires ‘Special’ Fair, Equitable Strategy
When you have multiple children, you quickly realize parenting siblings individually to a collective audience is one of the most challenging issues you face. Each child is different and requires different types of attention, different resources and different parenting styles for maximum effectiveness. Even when you give it your best to be fair and equitable in parenting these different individuals, you realize that at times you simply come up short. How often do your kids hit you with, “You let the other one do it!” or the classic, “That's not fair!”? If you're like me, these … [Read more...]
Babysitting Little Brothers: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
My 5-year-old stares at me, not really comprehending what this means. Unless it’s candy or a shot to my balls, he doesn’t have much use for it. But my 11-year-old son, he knows exactly what it means and his face falls. “Dad …” he begins. “No,” I say. “Don’t dad me. Don’t even begin to think I’m changing this. Your mom and I are going to see a movie and your sister is babysitting.” “But …” “No buts.” He looks at me hard, and his lips go tight. But then he accepts it. My wife looks wonderful today. She smiles in a way that she did before we had children. It’s more carefree, … [Read more...]
Stay a Kid Forever By Never Filling Those Big Girl Shoes
I sit watching my daughter struggle to put her shoes on. Why must she always pick the most difficult shoes to put on when we are in a hurry? “I can do it myself, Daddy!” Yes, you can do it yourself, but it will take forever and once forever is finally over, I will be horribly late for my meeting at school. Just let me put the damn shoes on for you so we can get out of the house! “Take your time, dear," I say, "I know you can do it.” I continue to work on deep breathing. I continue reminding myself that this very moment will be forgotten in time and life will continue. I have … [Read more...]
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