Have you ever stopped to think about how many different roles we have as dads? Some are fun, and some are serious. But in the end, they are all important and being a dad means we are more than happy to do these jobs… even if they pay stinks.

Architect

Once Little A was old enough to play with lego, I became lead designer and builder of towers, bridges, and whatever else popped into her little mind. This is great because I love playing with lego, and Little A likes to smash things. Its win, win.

But after a while, my basic tower design were not enough. She demanded more elaborate towers. Her appetite for bigger and better towers turned into a battle against myself to constant approve and innovate until we reached the structural limits of lego as a pointy multicolored shower of plastic crashed to the floor.

Fashion Consultant

CleverMom is very particular in what she wants the girls to wear. This is usually fine as she picks out the girl’s clothes 90% of the time. But when she is busy, or isn’t home it’s up to dad.

If it was up to me I would close my eyes, reach into their dresser and pull out the first shirt and pair of pants I touch. According to my wife this is wrong. Very very wrong. You see, CleverMom is a clothing freak when it comes to the girls. She has her favorite outfits, not so favorite outfits, and what the hell were you thinking outfits.

With so much pressure and judgment over picking the ‘wrong’ pink shirt, or the jeans with the purple flower over the pair with no flower, I’ve had to adapt and overcome my fashion blindness. So what do I do? Keep it simple. Now is not the time to get fancy. And if the wife disapproves of my choice, I blame it on Little A. (Don’t look at me, she picked the purple skirt and red sweater!)

Art Critic

Sooner or later your kids will wanting to draw color on every piece of paper within reach. (If you’re lucky, this will be the only thing they color on.)

So you buy them a pack of crayons and a stack of paper. Finally, something quiet they can do on their own and keep them in one place for more than 10 minutes. But there is a catch. Your kids will show you every piece of art and expect you to comment and know exactly what they drew. “That’s a nice… house?” “It’s a kitty, daddy!”

Even if you can’t tell if it’s an elephant or a penguin, appreciate it for what it is…. Art.

Professional Wrestler

Trying to change a shitty diaper on a flailing baby is physically exhausting. Pinning their legs with one arm. Pulling off the diaper with the other. Cleaning their butt with your foot. And eventually fastening the diaper with your teeth.

And then there is trying to put pajamas on a cranky toddler! It’s like holding onto a pissed off cat. They will scale over your shoulders, hang off your legs, and contort their bodies in ways that defies all logic.

After having quite a few heated pajama battles with Little A, I am confident to say that I could even put pajamas on Hulk Hogan if I had to.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with your friends using the buttons on the left! I hear every time a post is shared, a stray dog finds a home…

Photos: Chunker & Ninja M

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A couple weeks ago at work I received a call. It was Little A. This wasn’t out of the ordinary as my wife usually lets her call me once in a while. Usually the phone call consisted of Little A rambling on about what she had for breakfast or where the cat was sleeping.

But not this time.

I picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

There was no happy, go lucky two and a half year old voice on the other side of the phone like usual. All I could hear was whimpering and the odd sniffle. Then between the sniffling a little voice peaked out.

“I miss you dad, please come home.”

Instant my heart sank. It was the first time Little A was truly sad. She wasn’t crying because someone took her toy, or that she didn’t want chicken for dinner. It was genuine.

The conversation continued.

“I love you dad, I don’t want you to work anymore.”

Now my heart felt like it was being steamrolled into a pancake. Its amazing how a few words can have such an impact when they come from your children.

I told Little A that daddy needs to stay at work and I would play with her when I got home. And after a reluctant “Okay…”  the phone call ended.

This was probably my most heartbreaking moment as a dad. It was the first time my child truly missed me, and was able to express it. She wasn’t just crying or playing strange. Its times like this that makes you take a step and realize your kids are growing up fast.

Too fast.

Have you experienced a moment like this? How did you handle your kids growing into actual little humans?

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Its been 45 minutes of constant kicking and screaming. Your angry, frustrated, and about 5 minutes away from your own meltdown. You’ve handled your fair share of temper tantrums, but this time takes the cake.

Why? Because you told your two and half year old that if she sticks her fork down her pants at the dinner table one more time, you are going to take it away. (I wish I was making this up…)

Could this temper tantrum have been prevented? Maybe. But the fact that Little A decided to skip her afternoon nap made things about 10 times worse.

In order to understand how to prevent temper tantrums, you must first learn why kid throw temper tantrums… Young Grasshopper.

Most Common Reasons Why Kids Tantrum

• Hungry
• Bored
• Tired
• Angry
• Lack of attention
• Hearing the word “no”

Once you’ve figured out the why, preventing temper tantrums becomes much easier.

• Are your kids out of routine today?
• Late meals?
• Skipped naps?
• Is there another child annoying the crap out of yours?
• Has your attention been elsewhere for far too long?

Ask yourself these questions and plan ahead. Pack snacks, avoid unusually late meals. Don’t skip naps whenever possible. Take notice of potential feuds between siblings and friends like that one toy that no one ever plays with yet today everyone is willing to fight to the death for it! Of course you all want the blue truck, the other cars are just pieces of junk, right?

Stick to a consistent routine. This is by far the biggest tip of all. Everything runs smoother when your kids know what to expect. And you’ll soon find your little rebels will be a little less rebellious.

Whats your secret weapon against tempter tantrums?

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I came across quite the blog post from Andra at The Domestic Project. Andra proves that Mother’s Day is more than just jewellery, flowers, and over priced cards.

A quote from the post:

the reason I’m struggling with this decision is because what I really want, what would truly fill my soul are things that are impossible to buy. And no, I’m not talking about “world peace”. I’m talking about real, pressing, important matters that any mother would kill to have.

What is Andra talking about? Well head on over to the Domestic Project and read what mom’s REALLY want for mother’s day!

I’m still going to play it safe and buy something for my wife. Some how I think telling her, “Sorry I didn’t get you anything, money can’t but want you anyways!” will work.

What are you getting your wife for mother’s day?

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I decided to do a review on the worlds most famous teething toy, Sophie the Giraffe.

Why? Well Sophie and I have a bit of a special bond. Yup. She was one of the first toys bought for Little A two and half years ago and has been around for my entire fatherhood career. We go way back!

Being over 50 years old, this little french giraffe has been stuffed in more drooly mouths then I even want to imagine.

Made from all natural paints and rubber, Sophie the giraffe is the perfect teething toy to sooth achy gums.

Sophie first showed up at our house two and a half years ago and has been going strong ever since. She has survived the wrath of Little A and her gaggle of friends and is now in the grubby hands of Little C. Sophie the Giraffe has been thrown, covered in mud, chocolate, and chewed on like a piece of beef jerky.

The only physical scars we’ve noticed so far was Sophie’s paint is beginning to wear and crack. Not bad for the abuse she has taken.

I only have one warning. Much like her life size cousins, Sophie the giraffe is not a good swimmer. Keep her from being submerged in water or she might lose her once loud, screechy voice. But that might not be a bad thing!

If you’re in the market for a durable, safe teething toy, Sophie the Giraffe
is up for the challenge!

Affiliate Disclosure

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Unless your toddler is a freak of nature, they will throw tantrums. Lots of tantrums. Depending on how you handle a tantruming toddler will have an effect on the noise level, duration, and frequency of future tantrums. So close Facebook, put the coffee down and lets figure out how to handle a temper tantrums like a champ.

How to handle temper tantrums like a champ

1. Remove the child from situation. She’ll be kicking and screaming so protective gear is recommended but optional. Protect your vital assets, you know, eyes, throat, manhood.
2. Give your child a chance to rethink their tantrum. Warn her that her excessive behavior will not be tolerated. Give her the choice to stop now, or face the pit…err appropriate disciplinary measure. Now your child is at a crossroad. She can take the sunny path back to playtime or the twisty, pot hole ridden road to discipline. In my experience, toddlers always choose the hard way. Must be the thrill of the fight or something, but at least you can say you gave them the option.
3. Now that we removed your tantruming toddler from the situation, where do we stuff her? In our house we have a small empty hallway. Find a similar place that is out of the way (but not hidden) and safe.
4. Walk away. That’s right, walk away. Don’t stoop to their level and start yelling at them to stop, smarten up, or whatever. Just carry on with whatever you were doing before. Don’t let her break your mojo. This is the hardest step by far. Once the daddy rage juices start to flow, it’s easy to blow up and make a crappy situation…crappier.
5. If you followed the steps up until now, you should eventually hear the tantrum fading. Why? Well its simple. Kids are performers. They aren’t in it for fun, money, or fame. Their main goal with a tantrum is to get you to fold quicker than superman on laundry day.
6. Once the tantrum and ringing in your ears stop, sit down with your child to talk. Get down to her level and explain why tantrums are unacceptable. Keep it calm, but firm. Try to get her to explain why she was throwing a tantrum. Tell her it’s okay to be angry, we all get angry. But instead of blowing up like a bomb, next time she should use her words, find mom or dad, or scream into a pillow.
7. Wipe away the sweat and tears (from both of you) and carry on. Don’t forget the celebratory fist to the sky as you have just conquered the tantrum. Booya!

The most important thing to keep in mind when trying to handle temper tantrums is to not make the situation any worse. A toddler in tantrum mode is like a fire and trying to reason with a tantruming toddler is like throwing gas on the fire!

How do you handle temper tantrums?

If you enjoyed the post or found it helpful, please share! It’ll take only seconds of your time, and I will give you a cookie…

Photos courtesy of: striatic & p.gordon

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Ah, the pacifier (or as I tend to call it, the scream plug). I owe my sanity to this little hunk of plastic. But with toddlers and parents so dependent on it, how do you get rid of the pacifier without a fuss? Notice how I mentioned parents? We are pacifier junkies just like our toddlers. From this point forward there will never be an anti whining mechanism so effective until maybe their first cell phone…

So how do we wean our toddlers off of using a pacifier? The even bigger question is how do you do it while keeping your sanity?

1. Start making rules as to when and where your toddler can have their pacifier. Most smokers won’t quite cold turkey, so why treat your pacifier junkie any different? What we’ve started with Little A is that there is no pacifier while she is playing, in the vehicle, pretty much anywhere besides her bed or the couch. As long as we are consistent and enforce the law of the land, her pacifier addiction has been reduced significantly. This tip is important as it can easily turn any attempts of getting rid of the pacifier into a success or miserable failure.
2. Give the pacifiers to a younger sibling. Toddlers usually enjoy helping with their younger siblings. Instead of getting rid of the pacifiers, talk to your toddler. Explain that not having a pacifier is part of being a big boy or big girl and their younger sibling would love to have their pacifier. Who knows, your toddler’s desire to not be treated like a baby could be all the convincing they need!
3. Blame it on the dog. Probably not the most tactful way of getting rid of the pacifier, but it can still be effective depending on the child. Some kids are fine with accepting their pacifier is just…gone. Not Little A though. That was a long night…
4. Tell them stores no longer sell pacifiers. Explain that once their pacifiers are lost or worn out then that’s it. Sorry! The store doesn’t sell pacifiers anymore sweetie, I know, that is weird. But what can you do?
5. Keep cutting the nipple shorter until there is nothing left. This seems like an odd science experiment but I threw it in anyway. Its hard to suck on a pacifier when there is nothing left but a nub of plastic. And by then, hopefully your toddler will be fed up with their crappy pacifier that they’ll be more than happy to chuck it out.
6. Gather up the pacifiers to mail to the ‘tooth fairy’. When I first thought of this idea I wasn’t convinced it would work, honestly. But after mulling over it for a while I’d say this could be one of the most effective ways to get rid of the pacifier. Have your toddler gather up all of their pacifiers. Put them in a envelope or box. Address the package to the tooth fairy, and send it away! Make a big deal out of it and explain that once the tooth fairy has received their pacifiers, she’ll know when its time to start checking for baby teeth under their pillow! If your toddler doesn’t know who the tooth fairy is, pick someone else to mail the pacifiers to. Less fortunate kids? The pacifier clean up guy that comes once a month? Whatever works!

It’s a good thing toddlers are gullible!

How did you get rid of the pacifier without causing nuclear war?

Photo Courtesy of: Agent Smith

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Sound familiar?

I’m pretty sure it was my dad’s favorite saying. I remember the feeling of injustice that only a kid can experience! What do you mean it’s bedtime?! You get to stay up as late as you want!

Now as a father raising two daughters, I can see where my dad was coming from. Sometimes there is just no reasoning with kids. But how do you handle the situations where ‘do as I say, not as I do’ doesn’t work?

How do I teach my kids the importance of reading when I haven’t read a book since I was in school?

How do I raise my kids to be smart, and study hard in school when I was the kid more interested in video games and goofing off?

Lead by example.

Kids are extremely impressionable. Even at a young age, toddlers will imitate parents, friends, and siblings. At two and a half years old, Little A is already wanting to wear the same pajamas as her cousin, or brush her teeth like daddy, and paint her nails just like mommy.

Use this to your advantage. Read in front of your kids. Don’t just read to them. Let them see you enjoying a book for yourself. Does your child refuse to brush their teeth? Brush your teeth with them. Take turns brushing each other’s teeth. Involve your kids in your exercise routine. Kids make excellent training partners!

Be the kind of person you want your children to be.

I’m not perfect. But as a Dad, I owe it to my kids to at least aim for perfection. Will I ever be perfect? No, and is anyone ever perfect? But if my kids see me working harder, eating better, exercises more, and being a better person… hopefully something will rub off on them!

Don’t be a hypocrite.

Don’t call your kids lazy when you spend the evenings glued to the TV. Don’t force your kids to read when you can’t be bothered to crack open a book.

It’s never too late to start.

Do you smoke? Maybe your beer belly has you measuring into the second trimester. Or perhaps you have a business idea, or hobby that you’ve always wanted to try. Whatever your situation may be, start the journey to self improvement now.

Raise your kids by showing them firsthand what hard work, determination, and willpower can accomplish. Be the example of success that your kids can look back one day and be like “Wow! I can’t believe Dad did that!”

Photo Courtesy Of: L’eau Bleue

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Life is busy. And life with kids is crazy busy.

As a family man, we can have many different job titles. Dad. Husband. Provider. Cook. Chauffeur. Employee…. the never ending list goes on.

Sometimes it feels as if you’re juggling. Everything in your life is a ball, and you’re frantically trying to not let one drop.

There is one ball you should never let fall.

The ball I’m talking about is your kids. Being a dad. Being an involved dad.

Don’t drop the ball.

Your ‘‘adult’ problems don’t matter to your kids.

So when mortgage payments, bills, work, road rage, or deadlines start to consume your mind, remember…

Your child won’t remember your ‘adult’ problems.

She’ll just remember that her dad said he was too busy to play, to build forts, to read books.

Don’t drop the ball.

Photos Courtesy Of: sirenbrian & bobdole369

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Have you ever wondered what babies think of? Do newborns think of anything at all? Or are the just eating, pooping, crying machines?

I like to think there is something going on inside their heads. I was feeding Little C her bottle the a few days ago and she had this strange look in her eye. A look like she was planning something. Even though she’s only 3 months old, it was a look of deep thought.

So then I began to ponder and let my imagination go free. What do babies think of? Here are my best guesses:

1. World domination.
2. Murder/revenge. Hey, you never know!
3. The most optimal place to spit up.
4. Boobs. There is no denying that newborns love boobs.
5. “They feed me, change me, and carry me by just crying. I must be their god.
6. “This new car seat looks expensive. I wonder how much vomit it will hold?”
7. “Why do they keep staring at me? Is there something stuck on my face?”
8. “I waited 9 months for this? Ugly sleepers, crapping myself, and being passed around like a football?”
9. “Just because I smiled once at that stupid face you made doesn’t mean you have to do it over, and over, and over…”
10. “I’m well aware that my feet stink, very funny. I’m a baby, so the blame is on you buddy.”
11. “Lift me up closer to your face, I feel a sneeze coming.”
12. “I’m not tired or hungry, I am actually quite pleasant. Still, I’m going to cry because I enjoy watching you slowly go crazy.”

Ever wonder what your baby was thinking about?

Courtesy of: KVTee

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