Let Go & Let Them Forget Their Shoes

Having kids comes with juggling lots of accessories for daily life in school and extracurricular activities. Water-bottles, shoes, backpacks, basketballs, uniforms, library books, and more. Maybe that's easy for some of you, but coming from an adult who has been known to lose his keys multiple times per day, keeping track of other peoples stuff … Continue reading Let Go & Let Them Forget Their Shoes →

What Am I Raising Children For?

I recently started the book ”The Gift of Failure,” by Jessica Lahey. She starts her history of parenting during early colonial settlement times, and this perspective had me thinking of raising kids during a subsistence lifestyle. Farming families or hunters and gathers necessitated having kids in order to sustain the pack. Farmers need additional hands … Continue reading What Am I Raising Children For? →

Empty Tomb or Empty Tube: They’re Listening Even When Signs Say They are Not

Easter is today, and it's like an Easter I've never experienced. It's an Easter that everyone alive on this earth has not experienced. Quarentined to stop the spread of COVID-19 has elminated family gatherings, church, Easter egg hunts, and almost everything traditionally associated with Easter as I know it. I did go out and obtain … Continue reading Empty Tomb or Empty Tube: They’re Listening Even When Signs Say They are Not →

Rythm, Ruts and Hot Air

Routines develop throughout life. We wake-up, drop the kids off at the prospective camps or schools and we go to work. Tuesday's are spaghetti nights. Movie and pizza nights are Fridays. Routines are good. They're comfortable, efficient, and allow us to build lives. There are rythms to dinner, to our work life, to our relationships. … Continue reading Rythm, Ruts and Hot Air →

Dad, What Can I Do?

Here it comes. There are occational moments around my house where my almost seven-year-old son will say, "What can I do? There's nothing to do." I'm a fixer, so I've always been quick to list off a number of things after suggesting he help with cleaning up. But here is why I'm thinking of switching … Continue reading Dad, What Can I Do? →

“Dad’s Dead,” But Don’t Get Heated

My almost-seven-year-old son was taking a bath with his sister. Bath nights at our house can drag for up to an hour, and I was getting tired of nagging to get out of the tub. I decided to lay down outside my kids' view next to the tub on the bathroom floor. After a minute … Continue reading “Dad’s Dead,” But Don’t Get Heated →

Want to Stop Reacting to Your Conclusions? Seek to Understand.

He did it. The coach told my son to leave the club sport. The story according to my six-year-old son was that he was hanging out, playing on the mats (not playing basketball,) and the coach asked him to leave. The school then called to pick him up early. Proverbs 4:7 says to get wisdom. … Continue reading Want to Stop Reacting to Your Conclusions? Seek to Understand. →

Who’s the Teacher and Who’s the Student Here?

Read books and blogs. Talk with other parents. Go to birthing classes, even parenting classes, before your baby comes. All a good idea, but nothing will truly prepare you for parenthood than actually becoming a parent. The weight of responsibility. The financial costs. The energy they have. The stubbornness they deliver. The temper-tantrums. All will … Continue reading Who’s the Teacher and Who’s the Student Here? →

Encouraging, Enriching and Acknowledging the Joy of Childhood

Fatherhood is a lot of work. There are times where there is no end in sight, and it feels like I won't spend a minute to myself for the next month on end. Fatherhood, and motherhood, is also a lot of joys. You hear people say children are a gift, a blessing, a joy. To … Continue reading Encouraging, Enriching and Acknowledging the Joy of Childhood →

How God Sees Us and How Dads Want to Be Seen

Becoming a father was quite an overwhelming experience. There are books, groups, friends, blogs and resources to help a soon-to-be father wrap his mind around what is about to happen, but nothing really prepared me for the all-inspiring and humbling experience of holding my fresh, newborn son in my hands. The feeling of overwhelm didn't … Continue reading How God Sees Us and How Dads Want to Be Seen →