Please subscribe here to get these weekly newsletter posts in your email. Let me know if I've missed anything good, and I'll be sure to include it next week. Thanks for reading!
Dad 2.0 Summit
Last weekend I attended Dad 2.0 Summit in New Orleans, and had the opportunity to speak on a panel about the Dad Bloggers group, which now includes over 600 blogging dads. It was a great experience, and I wrote about it all, even including a picture of myself holding a skunk. For some reason. If you haven't heard about Dad 2.0, if you've been on the fence about going, or if you just want to see a picture of Skunky, it's all there, and much more. (Dad 2.0 -- Here's What Happened)Father's Day
Well, it's a little early for Father's Day, but I found this picture recently, and had to put it on Instagram. It's amazing what kids get and not get from watching their parents. My son, who was 4 at the time, knew I wanted him to be nice, and he knew he liked hugs. And nothing else really mattered.
HTML Lessons for Kids
This is a great idea from Ryan Hamilton, the programmer behind the scenes at Life of Dad. In a series of audio episodes, Hamilton, aka DaddyDev, is teaching his young son about HTML and coding. Feel free to learn along with him! (DaddyDev 1: What is HTML?)Influencing Kids
Previously on the blog, I had written about the 10 fatherhood influences I try to pass on to my kids. These include a love of books, an appreciation of (good) music, and trying to be honest with yourself as well as with others. I can't tell how I will do in the end, but I know I wish I had this list in front of me all the time, to reinforce the idea that I'm not just raising kids--I'm raising the next generation of people here, and my actions and my priorities as a dad will shape the future. (10 Fatherhood Influences)Stay-At-Home Dads
You know stay-at-home dads have reached the cultural zeitgeist when The Onion goes over the top to make fun of us. There's always the danger that someone reads this article or watches the video, and thinks, "Yea! Stay-at-home dads ARE 'embarrassing themselves and their sex by cleaning, shopping for groceries, and in some extreme cases, folding laundry,'" but I say if something is funny, it's a win. (Report: Rising Number Of Weak, Emasculated Men Working As Stay-At-Home Dads) Report: Rising Number Of Weak, Emasculated Men Working As Stay-At-Home Dads
"Shut Up and Sit Down"
In this post, I vowed to stop silencing my kid. It's been a few days since I've written it, and so far, I've stood by my word, no matter how many voices he makes up, no matter how many questions are followed by follow up questions, and no matter what else I have on my mind. ("Shut Up and Sit Down")
Worst Dad of the Week
It's another edition of Worst Dad of the Week, and this time, it's hateful bigot edition. Lawmakers in Indiana are pushing an anti-gay-marriage bill, which reads in part, "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana." The chairman of the committee responsible for this bill is Indiana State Representative Milo Smith, whose son is gay, and lives with his partner. All Republican members of the committee voted to codify homophobia, but Smith may be the only one who excuses standing on the wrong side of history, saying he hopes that now, "no one will attack anyone based upon their personal opinion regardless what side of the issue they're on." Separating the language of this bill from its effect on real people is heartless enough, but doing the same while having a gay son is a whole other level of moral detachment. (Gay son ‘disgusted’ with lawmaker dad for pushing Indiana gay marriage ban)
