[This post originally appeared on The Good Men Project] As a children’s author, I’ve been asked many times, by friends, colleagues, and readers, what is the best piece of of advice I have for parents raising their children today. To tell you the truth, I don’t always know if I have an answer for them. […]
It happens the second you pass by the window of that pet shop, you’re holding your kid’s hand, rushing them ahead before they can look into the eyes of the puppy barking at you to stop, but before you can do anything they’re looking up at you with bright, sad eyes. “Dad, can we get […]
I never thought that title was something I would have to write—nevermind something I would actually have to question. But with different articles coming out against what one author refers to as “shake it off” parenting (read here) in which parents dismiss their children’s losses, pain, and embarrassments, I think we have entered a time […]
Our children are growing up in a world where just about anyone can achieve their “fifteen minutes of fame”—we call it going viral. Just this week I posted a viral story to my Facebook, a father writing his son a statement of rejection for his plead to borrow $20 for a toy. And this one […]
I’m not the first, and won’t be the last, to say this, but I think any of us who have gone through the extremely rewarding process of growing our children into happy adults can be very, very difficult. Whether you’re going through it with a partner or you’re raising your children on your own, parenting […]
A recent article from steamboattoday.com claimed that one of the most important, vital characteristics of a good parent is empathy. The article makes a good case; a parent who can know and understand what their children are feeling are better prepared to help them when they are hurting, find joy with them in their highs, […]
We are just a few days away from the start of the new year, and with that typically comes a reflection, or an assessment, of where we are at, what we’d like to improve in our lives, and what we’d like the coming year to look like. Some people do this in list form, forming […]
Hello all! I want to start by saying a massive thank you to those who made it out to Scuppernong Books this past Saturday for my Night Buddies reading. It was a blast! As you all know, the holidays are coming up, and whatever you celebrate, gifts are likely to be involved. As a father […]
This week I came across a TED Talk that I would recommend to any parent, whether your child is just learning to walk, is just starting school, or is old enough to have a family of their own. It was a talk by a woman named Jennifer Senior called “For Parents, Happiness is a Very […]
It’s November! Changing leaves, Starbucks red cups, and with every passing day a step closer to the holidays, which for parents with young children brings up one terrifying image—spending hours on a plane or in the car with screaming, unhappy children on the way to visit family. But traveling with children doesn’t have to be […]
This is a tough topic for me to approach, because as a children’s author and an advocate for #BoysWhoRead, I would like to believe that there are no books that should be off-limits for children to leave. All books have the power to expand our children’s minds and help them with their studies, their critical […]
This is a question I know has come up again and again within groups of parents, education systems, and in my own life as a father trying to raise a son who knew the pleasure of reading in a world ruled by television screens. No household is without a TV, no school doesn’t have one […]