A recent obituary hit me surprisingly hard: “Paint-by-Numbers Maestro Dan Robbins Dies at 93.” The mere mention of the paint-by-numbers inventor transported me back to my childhood dining room table where I would sit for hours engrossed in my latest "masterpiece.” You could say I was addicted to that low-tech pursuit. I thought of that addiction while reading Adam Alter’s recent book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. Thirty years from now, whose obituary might send today’s kids back to a passion or hobby in our current homes? Some kind of … [Read more...]
Giving Time, Not Money, Priority for a Healthy, Happy Family
Even before becoming a dad, I always thought my role as a father was to be the family’s provider. I grew up in an environment where undoubtedly that was the case, and it was reinforced by the corporate environment where I started my career because the culture there highly valued money over time. Therefore, it’s no surprise that I grew fascinated with focusing on my career and making as much money as I could, even at the expense of my personal time. Then -- boom. My wife and I had to deal with a series of health issues. First, it was mine: a serious case of shingles that evolved into … [Read more...]
Flight from Family for Work Not One of Fancy
We are each a collection of stories and the hot air that spins them. We are all experience stuffed inside a carry-on, the breathing baggage of merely existing. Even the tales we don't tell still hold value, as does every strip of sinew. Connectivity is the byproduct of existing, and some episodes are meant for moving all the pieces. Today I am traveling, and my pieces move accordingly. For instance, the tray table zigs when I zag, its frame imprinted upon my legs, my arms adhered tightly to my sides by a paste of sweat and stranger. The turbulence is steady. I can touch the bathroom … [Read more...]
Paid Paternity Leave Pledge, Grants Offered by Dove Men+Care
Disclosure: City Dads Group received compensation from Dove Men+Care. Paid parental leave is a major cause for City Dads Group, in particular, paid paternity leave for new fathers. Despite some progress in recent years, many men still face ridicule and diminished career prospects whenever they chose family over work even for something as momentous as the birth and upbringing of a baby. Our longtime partner Dove Men+Care aims to push the conversation forward with a new campaign asking for individuals and businesses to take a Paternity Leave Pledge to encourage the creation and use of … [Read more...]
Adulthood: What is It?
It is late. Everyone went to bed a long time ago, and I am two hours into one beer. The house is dark, save a scattering of candles and the glow of outdoor holiday lighting spread upon windowpanes that will never frost. I am wide awake, thoughts and sugar dancing in my head. My uncertainty even more so. It is December, and I am stuck between a Netflix and a hard place, each episode blending into the next like so many years, skipping intros and pausing just to pee. Each new chapter the last before bed, another deadline declined beneath the comfort of just sitting still. Everything is … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 11
- Next Page »