EDITOR’S NOTE: City Dads Group is working with longtime partner Dove Men+Care to create “how to” videos for the grooming products company’s “Dads Care” campaign. We will be featuring the videos and scripts our members appear in. This one features Jason Greene and his son, Corbin, of our NYC Dads Group talking about how to get your children to play outside. With much of the country social distancing (or they should be), kids have become accustomed to staying inside instead of enjoying the outdoors, even during the summer. And parents, since we’re still trying to work from home and manage the … [Read more...]
Integrity at Stake as People Revolt Against Bad Hands Dealt by Life
Hey, my teenage sons -- it’s time for your old man to give you a little more unwanted advice. I know the two of you are soon to start your sophomore year of high school and don’t really care for “words of wisdom” and that sort of crap; I can dig that. I also know that you are built on strong moral and intellectual foundations – cool. You are trusted and respected by the adults around you and in your peer group – well done. However … You have been thrown into the most manic of maelstroms and the weirdest of worlds teenagers have faced in a very long time. Nothing is even close to the way it … [Read more...]
Fatherhood Conferences to Go Virtual in 2020 Because of Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic claimed two more victims recently -- two major annual fatherhood conferences. However, both will be resurrected in an online "virtual" format. Organizers of HomeDadCon, a gathering of at-home fathers, and Dad 2.o, a more marketing/branding oriented event, called off in-person events scheduled for this October. However, each group has decided to pivot to digital versions of their fatherhood conferences where participants can watch and listen to presentations and socialize via video conferencing. (DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group has been a long-time sponsor and partner … [Read more...]
‘Mind the Gap’ Pandemic Creates to Reframe Your Kids’ Lives
I first heard (and read) the phrase “mind the gap” back in college, when I was lucky enough to study abroad in London. It was written on the subway platforms to warn riders to be careful as they step over the small gap between the edge of the platform and the floor of the train. That “gap” is an apt metaphor for the unavoidable (dis)location we’ve all fallen into now. Even for the still healthy and employed, the COVID-19 pandemic is a gap writ large, more like a canyon between our “before” lives on the platform and whatever comes “after” we arrive in a post-pandemic world. As we continue to … [Read more...]
Unemployed Parents Should Use These Tips Before Talking to Their Kids
EDITOR'S NOTE: City Dads Group is working with longtime partner Dove Men+Care to create “how to” videos for the grooming products company’s “Dads Care” campaign. We will be featuring the videos and scripts our members appear in. This one features Brandon Billinger and his son, William, discussing what to do when a parent is unemployed. I have been laid-off twice, and it was a blow to my self-esteem. I felt like a failure to me, to my wife, and to my kids. It was one of the low points of my life. I knew that for my kids it would be difficult to understand the gravity of what just … [Read more...]
Are Today’s Kids Patient, Determined Enough for Black Lives to Matter?
George Floyd died at the hands of police officers just over two month ago. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in March. Justice in each case moves slowly, if at all. Significant racial progress, I say out loud during a recent newscast, is taking a long, long time. My son, who is Black, sits next to me as I lament. He sighs and looks up from his phone, “Yeah, actually I had forgotten about the Black Lives Matter stuff until I saw the NBA and MLB players kneeling on Opening Day.” His gaze retreats back to his phone. I do not reply. I just sit, quietly frustrated. His comment made … [Read more...]
Help Kids with Autism Cope with Change with These Tips
EDITOR'S NOTE: City Dads Group is working with longtime partner Dove Men+Care to create “how to” videos for the grooming products company’s “Dads Care” campaign. We will be featuring the videos and scripts our members appear in. This one features Aaron Sheldon of our Columbus (Ohio) Dads Group, with a little help from his son, Harry, both shown above, talking about how to help kids with autism cope with a change in routine. I've spent the past few years sharing how Harry and I explore our everyday world, and, lately, how our world has changed since Harry's Autism diagnosis. Thanks to an … [Read more...]
The Talk: What Will I Tell My Black Child About Race?
I knew in advance of the interview that the question would be asked, but it still startled me when it was. Few Black fathers have a ready-made answer to: “When will you speak to your child about race? And what will you tell her?” This question came about in February, three months before the police killing of George Floyd, as part of a project I participated in exploring Black fatherhood. In the months since, it has echoed in my mind as the Black Lives Matter movement has commanded global attention and my daughter hits a new milestone: her sixth birthday. With each passing birthday, my … [Read more...]
Activism an Important Lesson for Parents to Teach Children
EDITOR’S NOTE: City Dads Group is working with longtime partner Dove Men+Care to create “how to” videos for the grooming products company’s “Dads Care” campaign. We will be featuring the videos and scripts our members appear in. This one features Jason Greene of our NYC Dads Group talking about how to get your children involved with causes and activism. Before I had children, I was on that social trajectory of looking at the world differently and wanting it to be better for everyone. Then when I had kids, I not only had a desire to see the world become better, but to be part of the change … [Read more...]
Racial Divide Crosses Generations in a Small Midwestern Town
The racial divide in the small western Kansas town I grew up in was very evident. Our community was practically 50% Hispanic and 50% white. When many whites would reference the Hispanic community and their culture, it was never Hispanics, it was almost always the pronouns “they” or “their.” It was almost as if by not acknowledging the race, it didn’t exist beyond the many Mexican restaurants sprinkled along the main street in our small town. I knew this racial divide existed, but internally this divide was never there. My best friend growing up was Hispanic. I spent many afternoons with him … [Read more...]
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