As I sit to write this, I’m surrounded by my children. It’s a holiday. The sort of holiday that catches you off guard. “What? No school today? Crap.” Sometimes the kids are playing together. Sometimes they are fighting over something insignificant. Sometimes they are cute and awesome. Sometimes they are obnoxious and annoying, but at all times they fill my life with next-level love. This is the point where people without children check out of the conversation. They roll their eyes and breathlessly express, “OK. OK. We get it.” They don’t, of course, because some things are impossible to … [Read more...]
Validate Teen Girls’ Views Even When You’re Not Seeing Eye to Eye
Got teen daughters? If so, then you know you don’t always see eye to eye with them. In fact, sometimes it feels more like an eye for an eye. During those times, my coping mechanism of choice is to read, read and read some more in hopes of finding solutions — or at least a bit of relief. My latest dose of support came from Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls, a new book by Lisa Damour. The book has many nuggets of wisdom, but one in particular hit me hard: the need for parents to constantly strive to validate teen girls' perspectives, even though that … [Read more...]
Mental Fitness for Fathers Positively Necessary, Says Clothing Company
Mental health, especially among men, is a topic often spoken of in hushed tones ... if spoken about at all. City Dads Group has long advocated the importance of male mental health, asking the subject be brought into the forefront whenever the health and parenting is discussed. We're happy to learn our friends at Fodada, the dad-oriented clothing company, believe the same with its new Mental Fitness campaign. "We want to shift the dialogue around mental health to focus on its positive impact. We want to refocus the dialogue to mental fitness. A positive approach," the company's website … [Read more...]
Teen Angst: Where Has All the Blog Fodder Gone?
When our youngest son turned 13 a couple of weeks ago he was officially engulfed in teen spirit, embracing it wholly, eye rolls and all. Granted, the smell of it had moved in several months before, body spray in a hoodie, and the attitude arrived even earlier. His birthday completed the set: two teenage boys sharing a bathroom and little else, save their love of pets and parents. They are, for the most part, free to choose their own adventures. There was a time that I would chronicle all of it -- the love and the loss, the raw and the perfectly flawed. I would put their stories to the … [Read more...]
Fable Explains to Children Importance of Understanding Context
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 considering context and how it helps us better understand and relate to each other. To better illustrate its value to your children (and, perhaps, you), we’re going to share a fable from our book The Relational Book for Parenting. “The Fable of the Candle and the Moon” … [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...]
Early Days with Baby for Memory Making, Not Perfect Parenting
Your daughter is precious and beautiful, little brother, and, I’m sure, the apple of your eye even after only a few hours of existence. I’m so happy for you and your lovely wife. And, without sounding like our dad, I’m damn proud of you, too. While I look at your beaming smiles and the picture of her in that tiny Chicago Bears jersey, I can’t help but think about the first days of each of my kids’ lives. The truth is, though, there isn’t much to reflect upon. You see, I just can’t seem to remember much of anything about any one of my five kids’ early days. My memories of each, regrettably, … [Read more...]
Salt Lake City Dads Group Chapter Opens in Utah
Utah is the latest state to join the City Dads Group social and support network as a chapter recently opened in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Dads Group (SLC Dads for short) is being headed by Travis Chaston, a stay-at-home dad with two young daughters. "I’ve been the primary caregiver from the beginning, and I was usually the only man at the playground and not always accepted by the moms," said Chaston, who has been home with girls since late 2017. "The Salt Lake City Dads Group was started to provide opportunities to meet other dads and socialize. We share stories, get advice from … [Read more...]
Teaching Cooking to Children a Lesson in Play, Patience, Responsibility
When I decided to become a work-from-home dad so I could spend more time with my children, I started thinking about how, apart from just playing with them, I we could have more constructive time together. Well, I found a recipe for success. My 3-year-old son, Noah, has always played with our cooking pots and his toy kitchen. Most of the games he created revolved around him being a cook. In the evenings, when I make dinner, Noah would climb up on a chair and stand beside me, watching me peel an onion or prepare a sauté, observing everything I do. I thought that this could be "our thing." … [Read more...]
‘Fences’ Inspired Me to ‘Take the Crookeds with the Straights’
Some 20 odd years ago, I first read the play Fences by August Wilson. I was a high schooler – a senior, I think. One of four black students in a graduating class of about 100 at an all-boys prep school. There were many reasons why I was different. There were many reasons why I felt I didn’t belong. There were many reasons why I didn’t want to be there. Yet, there I was. I don't remember all of those days vividly, but certain ones stand out – one being the day I noticed a copy of that play sitting on a stack of textbooks for the school year. It had the ghost-like outline of James Earl … [Read more...]
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