About Mike Julianelle

Mike Julianelle is a thirty-something Brooklynite and member of the NYC Dads Group. He shares his experiences as a father and bitches about the ways the existence of his son – not to mention the myriad responsibilities surrounding that existence – is destroying his social life on his blog Dad and Buried.

Rubber Band Helps this Dad Snap Back into Loving Parental Mode

July 19, 2018 by Mike Julianelle Leave a Comment

I’m not one for jewelry. I don’t wear a necklace, and I definitely don’t wear any bracelets. I don’t wear a watch, or a Fitbit; I never even wore a LiveStrong band. I keep it simple. Beauty like this doesn’t need adornments! But I’ve been wearing an rubber band on my wrist for a little while now. It’s not a fashion statement; it’s a reminder. It’s a reminder that I am too hard on my 7-year-old. It’s a reminder that I yell too much. That I say “no” too much. That I lose my patience with him too frequently and I scold him too often and I don’t cut him enough slack. It’s a reminder … [Read more...]

Crying It Out, for Crying Out Loud, is Only Torture for Sleepless Parents

June 21, 2018 by Mike Julianelle Leave a Comment

My son hit the 11-week mark yesterday. The bigger news is that he hit the 13-pound mark a few weeks ago. At that weight, our pediatrician said, the boy would be perfectly capable of sleeping through the night without feeding. “Twelve hours. I know it sounds tough,” she said, “and it is, but you have to establish the routine.” Apparently my son needs to learn to soothe and sedate himself, even if it means crying himself hoarse, and it won’t be until he gets to college that he’ll learn all the fun ways to do that! Until then, “Crying It Out” is our way to go … or is it? The … [Read more...]

Parenting Overrated? Let Me Count the Many Cons … and One Big Pro

April 19, 2018 by Mike Julianelle Leave a Comment

I once complained online about the daily balance parents are forced to strike between their kids’ lives and their own. A fellow parent responded succinctly: Parenting is overrated. Hmm. If I really weigh the pros and cons, do I think it’s all worth it? Or is parenting overrated? We already know parents are overrated. But that much is obvious; in many ways we aren’t as important to our kids as we think we are. The question of whether parenting is overrated for the parent is a little trickier. Using the age-old technique of listing pros and cons, I’m going to attempt to break it down. I … [Read more...]