TheDaddyBlogger.com
Realizing I Know Nothing
Childhood Obesity
May 15th
I was a fat kid.
Why? Simple: I grew up under the old methods of “finish what’s on your plate” and “a growing boy needs his food.” Both my parents worked, but my mom found time to cook everyday and meals were very rarely microwaved or made of processed foods — they just happened to be high fat, high calorie or portions were on the extreme side (who knew that the ultra-fresh chicken I ate as a kid is now considered high end gourmet in a restaurant and costs 3x as much?). I was a very active child and yet I was nearly More >
Can’t read – but I can hire a lawyer
Apr 30th
I think we know the state of parenting and responsibility in America when mother admits she can’t read, but knows how to hire a lawyer.
I don’t know the details of the case, but if there isn’t much more than what is reported — I think this woman’s daughter should hire her own lawyer and sue the mother for neglect. Why? She openly admitted in court that she fed something to her child having no idea what it contained. And better yet — she repeatedly did it. Maybe she should be held on charges of Childism.
This is not to say I More >
Work-Life Balance and Sheryl Sandberg
Apr 19th
A while back I pondered the work-life balance in Work-Life Balance. Is technology tipping the scales? — and now it is at the forefront on Mashable, CNN.com (and here is another opinion from CNN.com on the same subject), and Makers.com. I would like to say it was my humble opinion that brought it to the forefront– but alas, it wasn’t — it was Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg saying it on video at Makers.com:
“I walk out of this office every day at 5:30 so I’m home for dinner with my kids at 6, and interestingly, I’ve been doing that since I had kids,”
A tech More >
Dads v. Huggies
Mar 13th
Oh Huggies, what have you done? I saw a flurry of posts and comments over the last few weeks related to an advertising campaign by Huggies (here is a quick overview by Janice D’Arcy over at the Washington Post and the final outcome as well). Basically, Huggies tried to celebrate dads by calling them inept — maybe not the original goal, but that was the perceived result.
I understand the backlash and think that Huggies deserves almost every single criticism for the sheer fact they used a stereotype as the basis of the campaign. I say almost since, well, some complaints are straight from More >
Discovery Toys Motor Works
Mar 8th
After quite a few rants (and an extended time not posting), I figure it is about time to do another review. I have been light on these because I have found that the costly, quintessential items you needed for a newborn do not carry over into the toddler years. I do have some thoughts on Thomas the Train and the multiple variations therein, but one toy I came across that I love (as well as the most important review, my son), is the Discovery Toys Motor Works (link is to where you can buy it on Amazon).
I will caveat and say More >
How dare you call me that?
Feb 3rd
I was at the doctor’s office the other day and get this, the INSERT POLITICALLY CORRECT NAME FOR THE PERSON THAT IS FORMALLY EDUCATED AND TRAINED IN THE CARE OF THE SICK AND INFIRM asked for my gender and gave two options: Male or Female. I couldn’t believe that in this day and age how sexist someone could be.
First, we have become so worried about sex that the word no longer is used to define our…sex. Gender is the term to define the societal and psychological characteristics you display while sex is used to define physical characteristics. Gender=Psychological. Sex=Physical. Somewhere More >
Keeping up with the Joneses – Social Media Style
Feb 1st
As I was scanning pictures posted by my facebook friends I came across a new parent that had taken their sub-6-month-old out on a run in a jogging stroller, I thought to myself as I looked over at my 3-year-old playing with his harmonica: “and here I sit.” And of course, as happens a lot in my life — the next day I came across this post in The New York Times Bits Blog: Does Technology Affect Happiness?
The short of the story for lack of time, but make sure to read it for some crucial points:
The answer, in the peer-reviewed study More >
Annie’s Homegrown
Jan 16th
As I have mentioned in other posts, I am not an “organic-only” person, although I do lean to them when it comes to our son. Also mentioned in other posts, I grew up on a small farm with a family that made meals from scratch — so for the most part, my diet was inherently organic. Apparently, by eating a vegetarian chicken raised in our front yard, without antibiotics and killed in the last 24 hours (most times within the last hour), I was eating like a socially responsible foodie (NY Times Article). Who knew that people would be willing More >
Melanoma Kills
Jan 13th
I caught this video (see below) on facebook — which is actually a good thing, considering that is one of the goals — get the word out. And a bad thing because typically, I ignore videos posted there since there are so very many.
This one is different. This is the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund — a charity based in Canada. I am not going to try and tell the story myself, since it is best told by those who lived it. You can find it here.
Take the time to watch it. I know I have thought of skin cancer much More >
Being an Honest Parent
Jan 9th
I recently read the article My husband, the perfect mom by Ayelet Waldman and I can say this: I appreciate the honesty.
I try to balance everything with the Wifey (again, whiff-ey) — almost to a detrimental degree. Our son is still under three, so we haven’t moved into some of the more complex scheduling of school, work and sports, so I can only go with the needs of now. I feed him. I bathe him. I put him to bed. I give him his booboo buddy when he needs it. I hold him when he cries. I wash his clothes. I More >
