Fatherhood Blog in Review – July 15

I’m very excited about putting the ‘male perspective’ out there for our Families members. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs this week as much as I have enjoyed writing them. I certainly welcome your comments, feedback, and questions. My favorite blog of the week had to be the one entitled Penny a Minute. In it, I reminisced about a treasured activity that I shared with my father, that I hope my own children will also enjoy with him in years to come. Based on some of the comments that this blog received so far, many readers have had … Continue reading

A Sense of Humor

Believe it or not, blogging is not my full time gig. Most of the time, I am actually coaching team sports for 3-5 year olds. One of the more satisfying aspects of my job (besides getting to play team sports all day with 3-5 year olds) is being part of their lives, and seeing them grow and develop. Many of the children in my program return year after year, and so it is a special treat to see them mature not just athletically, but mentally and socially as well. Of the thousands of young children that I have worked with, … Continue reading

Quarterback Dad – Bobby Mercer

I read and browsed through a lot of parenting books when I was expecting my first child. They were all geared towards mothers. In most of the books the fathers of the babies got a brief mention, or at best a chapter. The role of fathers has changed in the last few generations, and that leaves a lot of men without clear guidelines on what to expect, what to do, and how to be a good father. Quarterback Dad: A Play-By-Play Guide to Tackling Your New Baby is a great book written just for new and expecting dads. Author Bobby … Continue reading

Top 10 Benefits Of Having Children

Many couples find themselves trying to decide whether or not to have children. When speaking to couples that have children most will hear “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.” Derry-Williams, director of research for Northwest Environmental Watch says, “In the short term, if you look at the dollar value you lose, it can be substantial — but at the same time, it’s like an ongoing, lifelong investment in happiness.” Here is my list of the ten top benefits of having children. 1. Having children turns a couple into a family. My son was born when I was 23. It was … Continue reading

Friday Fitness Funnies: Laughter Does a Brain Good

I like to go and look up Fitness funnies every Friday and I try to populate this blog with humorous stories now and then. As it turns out, my reasoning was that humor does a body good, but what humor does the mind good. There are plenty of physicians still debating the merits of humor, but did you know that there is an American Association of Therapeutic Humor? I didn’t. Though I have to admit, the idea that there are physicians and associations out there who take in serious note the fact that humor can be a healing tool brings … Continue reading