Road Trip
What do you get when you combine 2 20-something parents, a two year old, an infant, a van, and 1,600+ miles? Our road trip from Texas to Pennsylvania. I’ve done this very roadtrip more times than I can count. We did it once when Evelyn was 4 months old, in a rickety dodge caravan. (Now that Meredith is 4 months old, I guess it’s turning into a “Welcome-To-The-World Initiation.”) It should be really interesting now with TWO kids now! Well, now it’s time to hit the road again! Happy Trails!

What Does a Dad do When he Fails? Part 3
We’ve discussed already what a Dad/Husband needs to do in order to recover from failure. First was CHANGE, second was GROW, and now I want to talk about the third, but equally as important aspect of standing firm after a moral or responsibility failure: FOCUSING OUTWARD. Most likely, what causes a man to fail is a self-centered view. This comes in many forms. Laziness, adultery, temper problems, abuse. All of it has roots in selfishness. While it is important for a husband and dad to continually develop themselves and learn, it doesn’t do any good if it’s for development’s sake alone.

Dad’s Shangri La
I’m still working on part 3. It’s really important to understand the steps of change and growth from failure… But in the mean time, here is a Dad issue that has been on my mind lately… There you are. Wal*Mart. Everybody decided they HAD to run out in their pajamas and buy twenty items or less with their children. Including you. (Except you had the sense to wear decent clothes at 4 in the afternoon.) As you shove your wonky, squealing cart through the bedlam of bargain hunters and punk-loiterers, careening around invalids who obviously don’t need the motorized carts they’re shuttling around, you hear “pee-pee.”

What Does a Dad do when he Fails? Part 2
We all know that when a Dad fails in his responsibility as a Dad (and/or husband) that it’s the worst kind of failure. We see it in movies and TV, we read about it in the news and even tabloids. No Dad, no matter how famous or mundane, is immune to the crushing guilt and shame that comes from being a bad Dad.  Sure, he may mask the shame; he may try to numb it by acting like a pubescent teenager again. And while he may end up being successful in changing how he feels about it, it does not change his guilty status.  But there is an important aspect that Dads, and families, need to know – how does Dad recover? To prance around like nothing happened i

What does a Dad do when he Fails? Part I
No matter how selfish and aloof… No matter how cold or callous… Infidelity, abuse, broken promises, ignored chores, disregard of emotions and needs, laziness, carelessness… Failure as a Dad and husband is one of the worst things that a man can fail at. …and IMO: Every dad/husband knows it. I’m not talking about missing the mark of unrealistic expectations or impossible standards, but when a man holding the responsibility of a family fails to take responsibility and prefers himself over his children and wife. Just read the other “dad blogs” out there… eventually you’ll come a