My dad got his start in business sweeping up at nights for a remote office of a big company. He had struggled in college, yet over the course of 20 years he worked his way up to be the president of another company. He also went back to college while raising two young kids. When …
Continue reading 20 Thoughts: My Father's AdviceAdvice
It’s eleven minutes after seven in the morning. If the kids are going to make it to school on time, I need to get them out of the door and strapped into the car by 7:15. Inevitably, one of them (my son is 4, daughter is 7) will encounter a challenge (I don’t know where …
Continue reading Take Time to Say, "No" This goes out to single dads, heck why not all dads out there for that matter. This post is a bit on the personal level, and while “advice” may not be properly given, it is more about being a wake up call for us dads who tend to put work ahead of family… especially …
Continue reading Priorities: Single Dad vs. Mr. EntrepreneurIt is the morning after Halloween and the house is quiet, save the occasional whine or bark of one of the dogs. In the kitchen there are no plastic pumpkin pails or bright orange bags filled with candy. There are no empty wrappers for me to pick up off the floor, left strewn about by …
Continue reading Bitter SweetsWelcome to my regular Friday feature, Worst of the Week. As a white, suburbanite husband and dad of two kids, there’s a lot that can go wrong and this entry is all about how to fix it. I hope you enjoy it! This past weekend our family along with 4 other families went to the …
Continue reading Worst of the Week: Children of the CornPhotowalking is fun. Especially with kids! All you need are at least one kid and at least one camera. If you’re not familiar with the idea, photowalking is just a fancy way to say, “Go play outside!” There’s really nothing more to it than simply walking around an interesting area, and taking lots of pictures. …
Continue reading Photowalking with kidsWarning: Some of the content in the following commercials will be disturbing to some of you. They are graphic in nature on purpose as they are trying to share their message about the dangers of driving too fast, driving drunk or driving without wearing your seatbelts. Mostly, these spots are focussed on young teen drivers …
Continue reading Teens and DrivingAbout 13 years ago from right about now, I was a proud new dad. Four months earlier I was blessed to enter the world of fatherhood with the birth of my son Connor. Having a little bundle of joy that totally depends on you is one of the most wonderful things that can happen to …
Continue reading "It's nice to see a man take an interest in his child"Our children are more proficient than we ever were with the digital realm. Their social lives, education, shopping, and entertainment often revolve in the online world. But how do you protect them? Yes, working with them and watching over their shoulder is best – but rarely practical. What software do you use to: Ensure your …
Continue reading Protecting our children online: What software do you use?In our house full of boys (One dad, two sons, two boy cats, a boy dog and a rotating menagerie of bugs of indeterminate gender), we hold one truth to be self-evident: mom is special. Mom doesn’t get much “girl time” at our place, but she does have seemingly unlimited opportunity to be hassled, annoyed …
Continue reading Taking care of momI only post here once a week, but I read the blog daily. For me the best post this week, if not the best ever post on here was written by Paisano – Sins of the Father. He uses the song by Everclear Father of Mine to relate the sense of abandoment, confusion and frustration felt …
Continue reading Investment TipI’m always searching for new apps for my iPhone, I was thrilled when I recently found a free version of PacMan. As I searched through the iTunes Music Store free apps section, I came across an amazing app that’s so much more useful than killing ghosts. Phone Aid serves as a quick guide and support …
Continue reading Your iPhone Can Save Your Child's LifeThe picture of my “Vampire Weekend†above was taken on Halloween probably 16 years ago. The two little bloodsuckers with me in the photo are now 20 and 18 years old. Time flies when you are having fun, and we were definitely having fun! Halloween may be a scary time, but I think that as …
Continue reading Fangs For The Memories!Welcome to my regular Friday feature, Worst of the Week. As a white, suburbanite husband and dad of two kids, there’s a lot that can go wrong and this entry is all about how to fix it. I hope you enjoy it! As a stay-at-home (and in desperate need of a job) Dad, it’s my …
Continue reading Worst of the Week: “Dad, dinner sucks!â€ÂWhen my 12-year-old daughter wanted to read my latest book, I discouraged her, because it addresses adult subjects, including organized rebellion against government (just the thought of which these days can label you a traitor), and it depicts sex and violence. My 12-year-old. This is a girl who watches Bones and The X-Files, then switches …
Continue reading Our Kids Can Handle a Lot More than We Give Them Credit ForOne of the things I love the most about my job – the travel – also has a huge downside as a dad. Whether it’s a day-trip that begins with waking up at 4:30 a.m. and then not getting home until after 9 p.m. or a multi-day trek across time zones, I miss those daily …
Continue reading Gift Ideas and Travel Tips from DadsHaving started a Father’s Group (Pop Culture) over three years ago I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I’ve done as a father. At the time I was freelancing and was essentially a SAHD (Stay at Home Dad) and desperately needed some dad-bonding where I could get advice from other guys trying …
Continue reading Start A Dad's GroupMy dad got into computers in the 1970s. Sometimes, he’d take me to work and I’d play this Star Trek game on a computer that had to print out the “screen” on paper. Sometimes, I’d destroy reams of paper chasing a Klingon around. I had no idea how much I was underfoot, but my Dad …
Continue reading Kids on the WebIt seems that once a child reaches School, or Daycare, that Kid’s Parties become both a bane and a blessing. Parents, in my experience, put on a good show for their kid’s celebrations. Grinning through the crazy, you can see the glimmer in their eyes. Looking forward with bated breath for all the other parties …
Continue reading Practical: Party OnI have only been a dad for 3 months. My wife and I welcomed Franklin Phillip Lewis to our family on July 4th, 2008 at 7PM. He is my pride and joy. Since that day I hate leaving the house to go to work in the morning and I have found myself doing everything in …
Continue reading Advice for Expecting Fathers from a New DadIn my most recent (and for that matter only so far…) post I talked about recognizing the signs that your son or daughter may have autism. In this post I want to talk about dealing with the diagnosis. As I mentioned previously, we had suspicions about our son perhaps being autistic. Well we finally got …
Continue reading Autism, dealing with the diagnosisBeing the father of two older children, especially when they don’t live with me presents a lot of different challenges. I live in the US, they live in the UK. I haven’t lived there for 7 years, it has changed over that time. My daughters were 13 & 11 when I left the country, now …
Continue reading Are adult children still our kids?This is a blogpost by Dad-o-Matic author Joe Hage about a conversation to encourage your child to work for something he or she wants.
Find out more about Joe at http://joehageonline.com.
Continue reading Emploment opprotunitiesI’m sure (I hope) most of you will agree that teaching our children manners is crucial.  Here’s a simple way to reinforce your children saying, “thank you.”  This Dad-o-Matic Quick Tip works best with younger children.  When you hand your child something that they have asked for, don’t let go. Keep your grip on the object–be …
Continue reading Dad-o-Matic Quick Tip: Getting Kids to Say Thank YouI have three kids.  The two oldest are boys.  The third, and youngest, is my daughter, Olivia.  From the moment of birth, boys and girls are different.  At least that has been my experience.  As infants and toddlers, the boys were into everything, climbing on furniture even before they could walk.  Bumps, bruises, burns and …
Continue reading When Did Daddy’s Little Girl Become a Woman?Welcome to my regular Friday feature, Worst of the Week. As a white, suburbanite husband and dad of two kids, there’s a lot that can go wrong and this entry is all about how to fix it. I hope you enjoy it! Our family lives in a great subdivision. The neighbors give back your rakes, …
Continue reading Worst of the Week: Sons of AnarchyHow much time do you spend with your kids? No, this isn’t a lecture, it’s not meant to be condemning – it’s more of a “note-to-selfâ€Â.  Because I struggle with the same balance you do – spending time with my children vs. doing work that needs to be done. I’m busy, you’re busy – we’re …
Continue reading Kids and TimeSo The Darling G and I were in Yo! Sushi on Saturday, and sat opposite us was a father with a somewhat uncooperative teenager. A bit of eavesdropping over our makis indicated that what we were seeing was a Weekend Dad. They finished lunch quickly – Dad trying (and failing) to communicate, and in doing …
Continue reading 'Weekend Dads' Should Still Be ParentsMy wife and I have always made it a priority to read to our children–I’m sure most of you do the same, and yes, I do the voices. I would like to think that this habit has helped lead to our second grader’s ability to read at a 5th grade level.  Every night, before bed …
Continue reading Our Favorite Bedtime BooksMy son was recently hit by a fellow classmate after the aggressor was warned by his teacher. It wasn’t a serious issue, just the typical elementary school kid that had some misplaced energy (or aggression). At night I talked about it with my son, investigated some options on how to handle the situation in the …
Continue reading Stand Up for Yourself… no, Walk Away7 hours in the car with the kids is pretty much a recipe for disaster, but with a little planning, and even more luck, you can turn it into a memory that will last a lifetime. I had just that opportunity last week and the ride turned out to be an absolute joy! My grandmother turned …
Continue reading Tips for Roadtrips with the KidsI have two daughters. One 17 the other just turned 20. We have lived apart for 16 years. Over those years our ability to remain an active part of each others lives has faced many challenges. When we were first parted, I lived in the next town, I saw them every weekend, and sometimes during …
Continue reading Staying in touch with teens over time & distanceReading Dave Delaney’s post about Tip for Expecting Daddies got me thinking about what got me through the first couple of months. It is a great tip. My tip is for fathers whose child is already born. Some might not agree with it but it worked for me. When my daughter, Danni, was born my …
Continue reading A Quick tip for Fathers of New BornsThe job of Storyteller has a long and worthy history in this country and is, I’m happy to say, an old tradition that in recent years has been resurrected – and rightly so. However, I don’t think it’s just the role of an official storyteller, or that of teachers, to introduce children to the wonders …
Continue reading Being A Story TellerIt’s such a simple thing, with great rewards.  When we are reading at night (the night’s that I read, which go in spurts), depending on the book, doing the voices of the characters creates another level again of story-telling.  Requirements: Be over the top! Try all different kinds of voices. The kids will …
Continue reading Kid's Books: Do You "Do" The Voices?A big part of being a good Dad is arming your kids with the tools they’ll need to understand and navigate the world successfully as adults. When I first became a Dad, I took some time to reflect on the adults I knew… on what the ones who were doing better seemed to understand, and …
Continue reading Choices and ConsequencesSocial Networking can be a great tool for any Dad or Mom for that matter to get where their kids are and know what they’re doing. Some of the most successful people in the industry use this same method to network and grow the number of people they come in contact with. A tip I …
Continue reading Are You Following Your Kids?There are some things dads have to teach their kids, and I think one is how to take compliments well. One of our fine readers (if I could find your twitter DM, I’d call you out by name) asked me to address this, because she has a wonderful and amazing teenager who happens to be …
Continue reading How to Take ComplimentsIf you have kids over the age of 10 it is highly likely they already have their own mobile phones.  If you have kids with their own mobile phones, it is highly likely that they use their phones for a great deal of “texting” (sending text messages).  How about you? According to a new consumer …
Continue reading where r u dad? dnr is rdy!With all the crap going on with respect to the economy, I felt it would be the perfect time to expand on something I have always thought . . . It can cost absolutely nothing to have a good time with your kids, yet and can be more rewarding than an all day spa trip …
Continue reading These Times are GreatI’m not a dad yet. Kathie is due to deliver our first baby around November 27th. So I’m in the position of anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby boy. As we draw closer to Thanksgiving; I’ve instinctively begun the process of re-evaluating my time. Am I using it well? Am I being effective? Is …
Continue reading DetoxificationI love being a Dad. It’s given me so many opportunities that I would never of had if I stayed a bachelor. I’ll be touching on many of those hats here at Dad-o-Matic in the upcoming weeks and months but for now let’s start of with something that every single dad can do and that …
Continue reading Volunteer At SchoolThis is a blogpost by Dad-o-Matic author Joe Hage about a way to discipline your child while keeping his self esteem in tact.
Find out more about Joe at http://joehageonline.com.
Continue reading Mom and Dad on strikeHi, my name is Stu Andrews. I’ve been a husband for ten years now, and a Dad for seven of those. Four kids so far. The idea of “Self” is prevalent in our society today, just as it has been throughout the ages. Philosophers in the first century thought up spheres of thinking that centered …
Continue reading Self vs Unself: The Ballad Of True LoveI grew up interested in politics. And it has to come as no surprise when you consider I was born on the date of the very first televised presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon. It was October 21st, 1960. I just had to be a political animal with that birthday. I remember very clearly sitting …
Continue reading Talking Politics with your ChildrenAs a proud father, I continue to be amazed at the development of my children. I was worried for awhile, I must admit. Two years ago one of my daughters struggled to say “TOUCHDOWN!” on Sunday afternoons. Perhaps this was because I was expecting too much of her. Or perhaps it’s because I’m a Kansas …
Continue reading The Joy of FootballBoo! With Halloween around the corner, this is a good time to address the art of scaring the bejesus out of your kids!  As someone who worked as a camp counselor for many summers, and who has three kids of my own, I feel I am highly qualified to share some tips on telling a …
Continue reading How To Tell A KILLER Scary Story!I’ve been a dad for almost a decade and proud to have been blessed with three angelic babies in that span. I still get choked up when I read this piece that I’m about to share with you. The message and meaning becomes deeper and more profound as the years go by, especially if you …
Continue reading Parenthood Will Change Your LifeThe PLUNGE Hey, I’m the New Dad on the Block. Sort of. After 37 years of living “Me-ness,” I took the plunge. No, I mean I TOOK THE PLUNGE – not only did I get married, but I inherited the insta-family, four daughters from my wife’s previous marriage. Being the glutton for punishment, we added …
Continue reading Heroes Overcome HumiliationReading Joe’s post about making family first got me thinking about some of the life lesson’s that I’ve been trying to imprint on my kids…   And one of the secrets in our family is having kids who have control over their attitude. My guess is that most parents can relate to having a two-year …
Continue reading "You must change your attitude by the count of three"This is a blogpost about a beautiful way to enrich your child’s life by Dad-o-Matic author Joe Hage.
Find out more about Joe at http://joehageonline.com.
Continue reading Dad's Life Lessons: Rule #1When your baby is born you will likely be housebound for a while. That means that you’ll be home to help your wife and tend to your wee one. This is awesome, sure you’ll be pretty sleep deprived, but it’s still awesome. There’s nothing better than gently hugging on your son or daughter, and on …
Continue reading A Quick Tip for Expecting DaddiesCalm down fellas, this is not going to be an expose about your favorite Showtime series. This is going to be a quick look at a four letter word that parents and kids should make themselves comfortable with and use much more frequently. NOT ALL FOUR LETTER WORDS ARE BAD The late, great George Carlin …
Continue reading The Real “L†WordThis is a blogpost about a beautiful way to enrich your child’s life by Dad-o-Matic author Joe Hage.
Find out more about Joe at http://joehageonline.com.
Continue reading Dad's Life Lessons On The WallIt’s that time of year again, when parents have to avoid drug stores and Wal-Mart as often as possible, if only to get away from multiple requests for a second costume, or another set of make-up, or a third pumpkin carving kit. It’s also the time of year when we look at costumes that are …
Continue reading Halloween Costumes for KidsBefore I get to the point(s) of this post I figure I ought to introduce myself. My name is Dave Brodbeck, I live in Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada where I work as a professor of psychology at Algoma University (go Thunderbirds!) Much more importantly, I have an awesome family, I am married and I …
Continue reading Autism, Recognizing The Signs I spend a lot of time online.  Working at an interactive agency, part of my job is staying up on the latest online trends which includes having accounts at several social media, community and networking websites. Recently, I inadvertently came across the profile of someone I knew, my niece, and I was surprised to …
Continue reading Hey – She's Not 22!In this age of financial crisis and mega billion banking bailouts, it hardly seems worthwhile to be concerned with $ 5, $10 or $20 a week. However, if you are a kid, and that 5, 10 or 20 bucks is your allowance, you are allowed to be concerned. More importantly, if you are the proud …
Continue reading The BUXX Stops Here!Recently I came across a site called Glubble. Glubble is a FREE parental control system for the FireFox browser that once installed you can have complete control over your kids online browsing experience. The system is geared for children up to the age of elementary school and may (in my opinion) be pushing it for …
Continue reading Glubble, a New and Safe Way for Your Kids to Play OnlineSaw this post by Julie Bonner, where she talks about her daughter getting a cell phone before the age of 11. Now, some of you just raised an eyebrow. You’re wondering if that’s a bit early for a ten year old to own a cell phone. I’m going to say that it’s not, from my …
Continue reading When Should Kids Have Cell PhonesI have 4 sons. Oldest just got married this summer and is living in Florida with his new wife. They will be coming home next mouth so he can defend his Masters project and be done with that. One of our other sons is in his last year of nursing school and he is getting …
Continue reading Using technology to communicate with your teenThe “C-word” – it’s one of the worst words in the English language. Whenever I hear one of my two children utter this word, they know that there will be consequences. Under no circumstances are my children allowed to say, “can’t.” Here’s how I’ve helped eliminate “can’t” (and a few other words) from the conversation. …
Continue reading The "Bad" WordsBullies have been a part of childhood for centuries, but their reigns of terror are swiftly becoming short-lived these days thanks to all of the bully awareness and Anti-Bully prevention programs that exist today. Obviously, it’s impossible to totally prevent bullying but we can always improve how and when we intervene whenever it does take …
Continue reading The Bully PulpitAs a single dad of three teenagers, I have had to come to terms with a fact many of us men don’t really like to concede; I’m mortal. As Clint Eastwood’s character Harry Callahan said so eloquently in Magnum Force, “a man’s got to know his limitations. ” Having kids taught me what Dirty Harry …
Continue reading Don't Sweat ItMy dad is a great dad. He indelibly shaped my personality, mores, and outlook in life. Now that I am a dad too, I appreciate what he did even more. It wasn’t easy to narrow them down, but these the top ten lessons that he taught me. Don’t take any shiitake from anyone. My dad …
Continue reading The Top Ten Lessons My Dad Taught MeWhen I was six, my grandfather would take me on his sales route. He sold candy. (How popular is a candy salesman?) He started buying me comics at various stops like Flo’s Variety on the hill, and Depot News downtown. I owe a lot of my ability to read to comics. And to this day, …
Continue reading Comics and KidsI’m a big sharer, or at least I think I am. I have over 11,000 photos on my Flickr account, over 100 videos on 12seconds, and a handful on YouTube as well. But if you go through them, you’ll notice only a few of them include pictures of my 16-month-old son. When my wife and …
Continue reading The Tricky Balancing Act of Online Sharing and Privacy Concerns“When should I start teaching my son (or daughter) about computers?” This is a common question I get from new parents. There’s no hard and fast answer or correct age. I always tell them to just provide access to an older computer as early as possible, even if they just pound the keys like a …
Continue reading How Soon Can Your Child Start Using Computers?Every week, I go to the grocery store and my eyes glaze over as I roam through the food aisles looking for that perfect balance of what my daughter WILL eat and what she SHOULD eat. She’s actually quite good with fruits and vegetables, but buying these at the beginning of the week just guarantees …
Continue reading What are You Packing for SnacksThat girl there, Violette, is mildly allergic to milk. She doesn’t go into shock and her throat doesn’t close. In fact, the only real thing we notice is that she behaves quite differently after having milk products than when she doesn’t. She misbehaves a lot more. She gets a bit more hyper and harder to …
Continue reading When Your Kid Is Mildly Allergic to Milk