As I stepped through the automatic doors with my pregnant wife, I realized I was woefully unprepared for our first trip to the baby store. After an hour under the fluorescent lights, I was feeling lightheaded from the dizzying array of baby gear. When the panic set in, I began sweating and searching furtively for [...]

Parker Alan Ludwig was born at 1:45 a.m. on Dec.19, making me an uncle – again. Both mom and baby are doing fine, as is my beaming brother. After visiting the baby at the hospital, The Wife and I attended a cocktail party and learned a close friend and his bride are expecting. All this [...]

Each year the high school football team closes another successful year by celebrating with friends, family, coaches and athletes.  The Polish hall serves as the annual venue, and we are treated to an abundance of food, followed by an awards ceremony and a silent auction.  To keep everyone entertained between events, the parent group holds [...]

Prior to my life as a father, I was able to come and go as I pleased.  I would walk through the mall uninterrupted, enjoy blissful trips to the grocery store, and if I wanted a quiet day to myself I could easily put my head down while in the cashier’s line.  Today I am [...]

Here at The Father Life we embrace the idea that “becoming a dad doesn’t mean that you stop being a guy.” Chris Mancini’s new book, Pacify Me: A Handbook for the Freaked-Out New Dad, captures that idea to the letter. As a relatively experienced dad (my sons are 11 and almost 4), I wasn’t sure [...]

Face it. Doctors are pretty lame with practical advice on stuff that should come naturally to babies. So here are a few tricks we’ve picked – none risky, we promise – that might help you get your baby to sleep or back on track sleep-wise. Dads, take charge. This is one area where dads can [...]

The instant I saw my daughter’s face for the first time, I almost fell over. Slammed directly in the chest with the proverbial two by four, I stood there enamored, trying to breathe. I stammered out her name in a near whisper. I was a completely stunned, happy idiot. My eyes watered. My knees went [...]

Guest blogger Paul Starke: As any new parent will tell you, having a baby means dozens of new responsibilities that are rewarding, yes–but also exhausting and time consuming. But what I didn’t realize is that in addition to the obvious joys fatherhood has given me, it’s ALSO given me carte blanche to stop doing activities [...]