Our family’s most memorable summer road trip occurred when our two daughters were quite young -- and quite needy, as it turns out. My wife and I were taking the family to our hometown, a three-hour drive away. The first two hours went smoothly. My 3-month-old drifted between sleep and blank stares, and my 3-year-old napped before starting to watch a movie. We had recently indulged in a minivan with a DVD player, which was unthinkable a few years previous but I admit was wonderful for family trips. Granted, I had explained to my daughter that the mysterious video machine only worked when we … [Read more...]
‘Happiest Mommy You Know’ Prey to Gender Role Stereotyping
The title intrigued me: The Happiest Mommy You Know. I live with one mom (my wife) and two possible future moms (my teenage daughters), so I read Genevieve Shaw Brown’s new book with them in mind. Brown’s mantra is that mothers should treat themselves as well as they instinctively treat their children. The Happiest Mommy You Know originated from a popular Good Morning America television segment about “The Baby Diet.” Brown explains that after preparing organic feasts for her young children, she would often eat fast food in yoga pants. But when she started eating the healthier foods (on … [Read more...]
Your Baby Registry Shopping Survival Guide
DISCLOSURE: This post, written by NYC Dads Group member Aaron Yavelberg, is sponsored by Huggies® diapers and wipes. I don’t like shopping. I can handle grocery stores when I have a list. I can survive clothes shopping if I’m looking for something specific like a dress shirt or a pair of jeans. When I don’t have a guideline, though, I get very anxious. I have trouble making decisions when too many options exist. Putting together our baby registry to help others shop for us and our new bundle of joy might have been hardest of all. There are five different kinds of everything from … [Read more...]
Mom Caught in the Moment By Dad
Dear Wife, I caught you doing something basically every night. It’s nothing bad, but actually very sweet. After a looooong day at work, after coming home only to be bombarded by the need to breastfeed our daughter Avery, as I am asking you several questions before you have time to think, after you spend the little time left before bedtime playing with Avery, after you nurse her to sleep (or try your damnedest since she’s a crazy), after you finally lay down to relax, you do something that warms my heart. You look up pictures and videos of Avery, as if just to make sure she’s really … [Read more...]
My Wife Let Me Learn, Love to be a Parent
The best thing my wife ever did for me after my son was born was nothing. Let me explain. Babies were a mystery to me when my son was born. Lamaze classes are great, but once you’re holding that squirming and peeing baby, everything goes out the window. The only thing I was confident doing when my son was born was changing diapers. I used to work with developmentally disabled adults and had changed thousands of diapers, so I had diapering down. Everything else? Clueless. Clueless, but fearless. I was completely confident that I was going to “get it.” And I was determined to do … [Read more...]