To the person who heard that Beautiful Wife was at work so I was home alone with ElmoGirl07, and asked, “So you’re babysitting?”

No, I’m parenting.

You may not get any deep insight from this time usage calculator, but you can see how your day compares to others. If you’re afraid you don’t spend enough of your time with your children, you’ll see that you’re not alone.

Daily time usage calculator - CNN.com

Joe Kelly  has an interesting read over at Dads and Daughters.

I talked a little earlier about the idea parents don’t need a license — or even a mandatory class. Some cities even license their dancers and escorts.

So read Joe’s brief take on fatherhood and the dilemma presented by being a father.

Dads and Daughters: “They’ll let any [expletive deleted] be a father.”

The National Center for Health Statistics reports women are becoming mothers at a younger age. For the first time since it kept statistics, the median age for first-time mothers fell.

The 20-24 age group led the way with a 5-percent increase, but 15-to-19-year-olds saw a 4-percent increase.

While it’s way too soon to call this a “trend,” the article points to several factors including:

• Women aren’t delaying motherhood for their career, hoping to have it all
• Having a child sooner improves the chance of baby bonding with grandparents and great-grandparents
• A larger population (”baby boomlet”) of young women entering child-bearing age

No Waiting: Younger Women Are Saying Yes to Motherhood | The Wall Street Journal

For those parents confounded by their kids’ text messaging – or maybe even trying to stay ahead – Vanessa Van Petten offers a handful of abbreviations. Perhaps her best tip is what comes after the list: Agreeing with your kid on an emergency code word for use while texting.

Digital Slang: Computer Shortcuts to Communicate With Your Teens | On Youth and Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten.

During a conversation with Beautiful Wife about an earlier entry, she pointed out that while ElmoGirl07 says “no” very clearly (though, thankfully, never forcefully… yet) she never says “yes” to anything. I blame the parents.

Continue reading Just Say “Yes”

Here’s how a typical question-and-answer session with ElmoGirl07 goes:

Daddy: “ElmoGirl07, do you want to go to bed?”

ElmoGirl07 (without looking up from what she’s doing): “Noooooo.”

Daddy: “ElmoGirl07, do you want to go to Grandma & Grandpa’s?”

ElmoGirl07: “Naaaaah.”

Or this request, as overheard at our Christmas dinner:

Grandma: “ElmoGirl07, can your cousin have a cookie?”

ElmoGirl07: (blank stare)

What we have here… is a failure to communicate. You may be trying to treat a child with  respect, but she ends up feeling just the opposite. Here’s why with a toddler you have to watch what you say:

Continue reading If You Don’t Want “No” for an Answer, Don’t Ask the Question

This is the first of what’ll be an series pointing out the little things and big things I found that made daddy-hood so much easier. No fluff or paid endorsements here — just hoping to give some parent out there a headstart (or baby shower guests a gift idea!)

Continue reading Things I Couldn’t Live Without (or Wouldn’t Want to)

This picture is from June, 2007 … just 5 weeks before ElmoGirl07 was born. What’s unique about this picture is that it was the first to have me with my pregnant wife in the frame together. Which brings me to an important tip for dads… Continue reading It’s Time to be a Shutterbug