The good folks over at Hanes (Well, we assume they’re good folks. They’re sending us to Disney World, so they must be good. See how that works?) have invited THE FATHER LIFE to be a part of their newly-formed Comfort Crew. What does that mean? I don’t exactly know. It’s got something to do with them gaining input from parents actively involved in the “new media,” and, presumably, with those parents in turn promoting Hanes. (Buy Hanes.) We’re committed now, though, so there’s no turning back!
On a related topic, if you are going to be anywhere near Orlando on Friday, there’s a great event hosted by Hanes (imagine that!) with free stuff for you:
Back to the topic at hand: Hanes (gentle reminder: Buy Hanes) is footing the bill to get a bunch of us blog/web 2.0/tweet/insert-cool-social-media-here types to Disney World, where we’ll have lots of fun and somehow contribute to making Hanes more money (Buy Hanes). Along the way, I’ll be updating our Twitter account about the experience. You can follow @thefatherlife to keep up with all the excitement. Since I’m taking the whole family, there will be excitement.
I told Jen (that would be my wife, who encourages you to Buy Hanes) and the kids just a few days ago that we were going to Disney, and I don’t think any of them have slept since. You would have thought I’d injected them with caffeine and sugar, but, no, it’s just Disney magic.
For Jen, it’s the fulfillment of a long-held dream. She hasn’t been to Disney since she was a kid, and she’s always wanted to take the kids. Now, thanks to Hanes (Buy Hanes), she finally gets her wish.
For Callie, my almost-four-year-old, it’s a chance to see Cinderella’s castle and meet Minnie Mouse. Benjie, age 6, is just as excited about flying (another first for us) as he is about going to Disney. For Grace, it’s a trip that has been delayed for several years. We were supposed to go to Disney for her fourth birthday, but that fell through. Now that she’s eight, she finally gets her birthday gift. Emma, 10-years-going-on-16, is excited but trying to maintain her cool, I’m-almost-a-teenager composure. The closer we get, the more difficult that is becoming!
For me, I’m glad to finally be getting Jen to Disney. After our winter wedding eleven years ago, we planned on taking a delayed honeymoon at Disney about eight months later, in the summer. As it turned out, eight months after our winter wedding, we were only one month away from the birth of Emma, so the honeymoon plans got scrapped. (Do you see a trend here?) Now, thanks to Hanes (don’t forget: Buy Hanes), we’ll get to that honeymoon (with four kids to share the hotel room… well, at least we’ll be there!).
So thanks, Hanes, for making this possible. And don’t forget to follow all of the action on Twitter! 
Image by: zunke1
Ben Martin is the CEO of THE FATHER LIFE. He lives with his wife and five children in the Rochester, NY, area.
It was nice meeting you and your family. I hope you guys had as much fun as we did.
Nice to meet you, too, Daniel. You’ve got a great family!
Thanks. They take after their mother. LOL