Realizing I Know Nothing
Posts tagged Being Dad
Not Sure Why You Need To Call Your Kids Parasites
Apr 17th
I read this story about Isabella Dutton last week when it was initially published and wanted to pass on making any comment since I knew she had created a self inflicted firestorm that was totally in her right to do so.
Let’s be clear: I don’t fault Ms. Dutton for her feelings about her children. Children are not for everyone. I don’t feel sad or otherwise bothered that some people look at children as nothing more than work. I expect she will get a lot of criticism for not having the ‘normal’ motherly feelings, whatever that means, but when I read it More >
Dinotrux! And Yes, Revenge of the Dinotrux!
Feb 25th
I love to read and one thing I hope is that my son also finds joy in reading. If he doesn’t, so be it, but seeing as though he is only going to be 4 next month, he will be getting at the very least one or more night time stories for the foreseeable future. And as parents, we all know that our children will ask for more books if they know it pushes back their bedtime.
I am not overly picky about the books we read before my son goes to bed. If they are educational, great, but the winners More >
Let’s Talk Gun Control
Jan 16th
This is not a post arguing for or against gun control, but it is about gun control. Yes, there is a difference.
It is important to level set. The current gun control debate is not about making our nation safer or about protecting our children — it is simply about gun control. It is a well known communication issue seen in countless households across America — an argument that starts about why one spouse didn’t clean the dishes in the sink but ends as a tirade about an unresolved issue that has festered for twenty years. The catalyst here being the More >
Confusion and Fat Kids
Dec 5th
Some time ago, my wife watched me down a glass of water after dinner and told me I was odd. Me being odd was no surprise to me, but why now? She highlighted the fact that I don’t drink anything while eating but will immediately drink something once I am done.
Huh. This was something I quickly recognized that I do in fact do, but never really thought about it until then. The culprit? As with all things in a man’s life: Mom. I have mentioned in my multiple posts related to childhood obesity, I was a fat kid. Not heavy. More >
Education in America: Oh Boy.
Oct 4th
Our son just turned 3 1/2 and I dread making the decision for his schooling. Some might chuckle, thinking I have already missed the boat considering waiting lists these days for revered educational institutions. Both my wife and I are college graduates (that’s how we met) but she came through 12 years of public school in the suburbs of Philadelphia with over 600 hundred in her graduating class. Me, on the other hand, I had 12 years of catholic school in a rural community. Total graduating class: 72.
The more I read and the more teachers I speak with, the worse More >
Childhood Obesity Cure
Sep 20th
I was pondering how the terrible twos are a myth and it is really the terrible threes, when I read the article Study suggests tie between BPA and child obesity on Philly.com (but from the AP).
In a world of article scanners (as opposed to reading), I am concerned that the article will be misinterpreted. The Journal of the American Medical Association found that BPA has a possible correlation to obesity — but there is no explanation for it and whether or not it is a cause. They DO NOT say that BPA causes obesity. I fear the main takeaway will be that More >
Rise Fellow Lemmings!
Aug 3rd
I don’t subscribe to the notion of haves and have-nots. I don’t fault the abundantly successful.
But some days I do feel like a lemming (even though it is a bit of a misconception).
As workers, we live in a self correcting eco-system. Layer after layer of management keep the layer below in check. You look up and say “wow, someday” — thinking that the $500k per year job puts you in the major leagues of the world — and you work within the parameters to get there. The only problem — that $500k C-leveler is still answering to someone. Considering there More >
Is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse destroying the economy?
Jul 20th
The New York Public Interest Research Group has launched the Don’t Major in Debt campaign which points out that college financing is a serious issue and “the cost of attending college continues to skyrocket” with the true meat and potatoes over at The College Finance Center where it breaks down paying for college and repaying college loans.
This got me thinking.
As each generation does economically better than the last, are we creating the perceived bar of expectation for the most basic standard of living so high that the only way to get it is for everyone to be independently wealthy from birth? Are our life More >
Busy Bees Buzz
Jul 16th
If you read my posts with any regularity, you quickly realize a lot of my thoughts jump from a point already started. This will be no different. I came across “The ‘Busy’ Trap” by Tim Kreider in the New York Times and on reading the title, figured it was another article about how the writer had created a perfect system of doing 48 hours of work in a 24 hour day.
I was pleasantly surprised and wanted to add some thoughts to it.
I hate unnecessary rushing. Suddenly missing digit after cutting the onion a bit close? Son’s leg going in multiple directions where More >
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 >
