EDITOR’S NOTE: Being a good parent at times takes superhero skills. To help you develop your own, “The Relational Book for Parenting” authors Saliha Bava and Mark Greene offer suggestions from their book. Go here to read more in this exclusive periodic series for City Dads Group. We previously wrote about the power of listening with curiosity. As we get into additional relationship super powers, we'll refer back to previous ones and show how all interconnect and interrelate. Growing these relationship super powers, what we sometimes call our “relational intelligence,” provides us with a web … [Read more...]
Endings in Parenting Story Often More Bittersweet, Sad than Happy
I’m older now. I sense finality more. Last ballgames, the last time they need your help on the sledding hill or on their bikes or getting dressed or tying shoes.
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Do you know Shel Silverstein? It doesn’t matter much, a poet – any artist, really - is only showing you what you already know. Does this line sound familiar? “Once there was a tree … and she loved a boy.” Yes, The Giving Tree. I have a weird and long history with his work. I first encountered him in my youth in the 1970s in Playboy magazine, which, at the time I was reading for the … [Read more...]At-Home Parent Promise Kept, Struggle to Let Them Go Begins
"No," I say. "He's not ready." At the bus stop, my wife shakes her head and sighs. She is disagreeing with me and showing her exasperation. She's a great multitasker. My fifth grader, Wyatt, and my youngest son, Oliver, adjust their backpacks. "It's my call," I say. "He's ready," she counters. "I'm Dad. I've been here since the beginning. I was the one that quit my job to stay home with the kids. It's my call." That should count for something. That should give me the absolute final decision about whether my son is ready for kindergarten or not. I say he's not. My wife … [Read more...]
Balanced Worldview in Children Helps Them Cope, Understand
"Everybody’s crazy, drive safely.” That’s the mantra of my mother I remember best from my teenhood. Granted, her negative, imbalanced worldview was simply a way to contain her anxiety as I began to drive. Her words returned to me recently as my children increasingly navigate the internet, originally dubbed the “information superhighway.” Like most parents, my wife and I implemented age-appropriate internet restrictions as our children grew. But we learned that as children age, they need to develop the same critical thinking skills adults use when wading through the sea of clickbait … [Read more...]
Listening with Curiosity Builds Relationships for Parents, Kids
EDITOR’S NOTE: Being a good parent at times takes superhero skills. To help you develop your own, “The Relational Book for Parenting” authors Saliha Bava and Mark Greene offer suggestions from their book. Go here to read more in this exclusive periodic series for City Dads Group.
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We all need to confront the many damaging narratives about parenting. One of the most challenging is the relentless drumbeat of others telling us to “enjoy them while they’re little.” This implies parents are destined for increasing disconnection and conflict with our … [Read more...]A Good Talk and the Constant Search for It
The conversation started over breakfast, a thread to a tangent passed with pepper and more coffee, but it stuck like syrup in a mustache (it happens). Eventually it moved from a stranger-coveted empty table in an increasingly busy restaurant to another prolonged standstill in the parking lot, two family members dancing a tango of societal and political opinion while everyone else kicked leaves and waited for car doors to open. Then it continued in the front seat for another 20 minutes, me in the back with a 5-year-old on my right. His toy made a loud, electronic shriek, apparently forever, … [Read more...]
2018: The Best of City Dads Group’s Writing, Podcasts
With 2018 in its final throes, let's reflect on what has been City Dads Group's most successful year to date. We expanded to 37 cities, including our first venture across the U.S. border with a chapter in Toronto, Canada (more on that in the new year). Our membership numbers are approaching 13,000, and getting more active every day. Our chapters and members have participated in several campaigns -- local and national, for fun and for a cause. We have had great partners such as Dove Men+Care, Plum Organics, Alex's Lemonade Stand and GOOD+ Foundation who understand and … [Read more...]
Santa Brings Dad Home for Christmas
If you have ever watched the CBS Evening News on a Friday night, chances are you've had to reach for a box of tissues. That's because, more times than not, correspondent Steve Hartman's "On the Road" segments, tend to go right for the tear ducts. The preschooler who randomly befriends a despondent older man. The kid with special needs who gets his chance to score in a game. The whole town that comes out to thank one of its longtime residents. The waterworks start flowing even when you know from the start what is going happen. Such as in those tried and true tearjerkers … [Read more...]
Earthquake Hastens Toddler Son’s First Man-to-Man Talk
An earthquake is one of those rare natural events that make you feel so very small and absolutely temporary. We are completely at the whim of our planet. The Nov. 30 earthquake near Anchorage, Alaska, caused little damage compared to other 7.0 or higher earthquakes around the world. Although many homes, roads and businesses were damaged, larger buildings held up, structure fires were few and quickly doused, and no deaths were reported. However, the earth violently shaking for 20 to 30 seconds inspired awe and caused much fright and worry. The immediate aftershocks caused a panic worse than … [Read more...]
Bishops, Dove Men+Care Help Us Spread Holiday Shear
Hundreds of City Dads Group members and their kids are looking sharp for the holiday season thanks to a Dove Men+Care and Bishops Cuts/Colors. Our fathers and their kids were special guests in 13 cities where the men's grooming products company, a longtime partner of City Dads Group, joined forces with the independent hair salon to offer complimentary haircuts, washes and styling using Dove Men+Care products to guys and their offspring as part a promotion to bring "holiday shear" to all. "Beautiful to see dads across America spending quality time with their kids and bonding in the … [Read more...]
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