As I ate my cold k-ration beany weenies last night (hey, I LIKE beany weenies), I ruminated on my last post. All told, what’s it really like to be A Man Called Da-da, or a parent in general? It’s like being in combat, that’s what. Take this little test…

I almost blew it. I had just gotten focused on my workload for the day, with about 8 things I REALLY needed to get done before the end of the day. Just as I was getting started, my 8-year-old daughter walked into my office, having just finished her shower, her hair still wet, and wearing [...]

This topic is so obvious yet I have yet to write about it. It may be partly because it is so close to home, for my boys.  I was blessed to have my mother and father in my life completely and lovingly, until they died in recent years (at 89 and 90).  They loved me, [...]

Parenting can sound repetetive. Here’s a list of some of the things I say every day. I took the time to listen to myself recently and realized rather quickly I say the same things every day. I’m basically a broken record of reminders, corrections and tired incentives. Some call it nagging, but I prefer to [...]

Dad, do you ever get scared? I remember asking my father that question one evening before bedtime.  My world was scary even without the constant news of inflation and the threat of nuclear war with the now-dead Soviet Union.  I had an upcoming test for which I hadn’t studied and there was a Neanderthal who [...]

We live in a time when so many of our kids are in childcare, and while there is a modicum of research that tells us that childcare is not detrimental to our children, it is well known that the people who care for our children can have a profound influence on our children for the [...]

Teen energy, angst, and anger manifest itself in so many ways. Every day it seems that we read about some teen that has done something unusually self-destructive, and occasionally destructive to others. Columbine was an extreme example of this.  Many so-called “normal” teens tend to use or abuse the ol’ standbys of drinking, drugs, and [...]

Skylee’s last regular season meet went exceptionally well. It was her best meet of the year! All year our mantra has been, “It’s not how you start the year, but how you end it,” and Skylee has continued to get better every week. She got first places in both the breaststroke and IM. She beat [...]

How’s your summer going?  My wife and I were laying in bed last night and she reminded me only a few more weeks are left until the kids start school back up. That got me thinking… Now would be a good time for us dads to consider how much time we’ve spent with our children [...]

Not that long ago, one of The Father Life writers encouraged all of you to go for the Vasectomy when your wives request it.  Before the vasectomy comes birth.  Many people write about birth as this horrible experience women go through.  There are also many books that help women get centered and ready for birth. [...]