These are the words every father must say at some point in his life. “Don’t worry about your schoolwork. This is more important.” My 12-year-old puts aside his math and follows me into the living room. I sit on the couch and hand him the second player game controller. He smiles. Game on, bitches. “OK, Dad. Where are you at?” he asks, a touch of superiority in his voice. I don’t like him to see me in a moment of weakness, and I have to remind myself that there is no shame in showing emotion. “It’s the cave, son. I can’t get past the cave.” “On it.” And like that, we jump into one of … [Read more...]
Home Office Goes from Calm to Chaotic with Hostile Family Takeover
Back in late February, when most of the population still thought coronavirus came from a Mexican beer, a friend shared a jokey tweet from an online magazine editor. He wrote that the most frightening aspect of a pandemic that forced people to stay in their homes for 90 days would be that “the only ones to survive will be freelance writers.” It’s now Day Numbersomethingorother of The Great Sequester, folks. It’s the end of the world as you know it, but I feel fine. This “new normal” COVID-19 created is generally not much different than any "old normal day" I’ve had for the past 16 … [Read more...]
‘Life and Death’ Talks: Parents Must Have Honest One with Kids
“I’m not going to lie to him,” my wife said, turning to me on an evening that now seems so long ago. “He should know what’s going on.” She seemed to expect a different reaction from me but I wasn’t going to argue. It was better for my son to be told the truth. I didn’t want to cover it up and have him start wondering what we were hiding. He didn’t need every detail but he deserved enough information to understand. “I agree with you,” I said. “He should know where we are going.” Our family's destination that evening wasn’t exactly a secret. We were paying a shiva call to a relative whose … [Read more...]
Outbreak Ends Plans, Starts Many Questions about our Future Life
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...]
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