Teaching your son how to be a man

Deciding on the ways you should teach your son how to be a man can inspire a great deal of soul searching for any father. Back in the olden days, when a man was seen as the head of the household, sole bread winner and a pillar of physical and emotional strength, this task may have been an easier one. The advice back might have been quite simple "get a good job, work hard, support your family and don’t cry". However things are bit more tricky for 21st century dads. Here are some more contemporary manly things to teach your son:

How to cook
Why is important? Because knowing how to cook is all about self-sufficiency and independence. Is there any skill more important than one that teaches self sufficiency? Cooking is also “still” a pretty easy way to impress girls – so two birds with one stone.

How to manage money

Moms and dads pre-birth worries compared

Many resources for new parents treat moms and dads in the same way - they speak of a generic "parent" which is essentially dealing with the same challenges of adjusting to a new life style once the baby is hear. Reality is very different of course - depending on the particular family arrangement the pre and post birth world is experienced very differently for moms and dads. Here's a list of key concerns and worries as reported back by moms and dads we work with:

Pre-birth dad worries	Pre-birth mom worries
Family finance - how to pay for all the baby stuff	Giving birth - how to get that baby out of your body without too much pain or mess
Baby's looks and intelligence - will my son/daughter be the next Zuckerberg, Lady Gaga or end up on social benefits	Health of baby - will my baby be healthy and well after birth?
Change of lifestyle - how will the baby affect our life style? The house, the car, going out, traveling, etc.	Looking after the baby - what do I need to know to make sure my baby grows and develops into a healthy child and adult?
Baby gear and gadgets - what is all the baby stuff we actually need?	Change of lifestyle - how will the baby affect our life style? The house, the car, going out, traveling, etc.
Bonding with the baby - what if I can't relate to the baby ... don't know what to do with a baby	Back to work? - do I want to be a full time mom, return to work or ask my partner to stay at home with the baby?

And post birth:

Bully proof

What can you do to make sure your child doesn't get bullied at school? Find out about "bully proof courses" in your area! Bullying is a major issue for all school children and parents these days and it seems schools or government initiatives are relatively ineffective in dealing with this problem. So it's back to us parents to sort it out - fine. I've recently come across so called "bully proof" courses which a number of martial arts disciplines offer. The courses are based on standard entry level martial arts classes but offer a few elements of how to deal with being bullied specifically.

After attending a number of karate classes I think enrolling your child in a martial arts course will address various aspects at play when it comes to bullying at school.

10 Things I wish my parents had taught me ... better

Enough time has passed in my life where I can look back and (mostly) understand the things my parents taught me, or at least tried to teach me, or maybe forgot to teach me as I was growing up. I wish now that I had paid attention and listened to the importance of knowing these things and how they will ultimately shape the person that I have become, or have yet to become. I plan and hope that I will be able to teach these things to my son, so he truly understands the importance of each lesson as he begins his life. Here's my list:

Dads choice awards: top free iPhone apps for toddlers

Here's a list of top free iPhone apps for Toddlers. Surprisingly there are actually not that many (useful ones). There are lots of variations of memory games, flash cards and sound apps but by and large they are all the same. The ranking of the apps below is determined by votes (one vote per day max). You can submit any other toddler apps to get them included in the ranking.

Kids can match - animals
Well designed an implemented "memory game" (matching pairs) app for older toddlers (2-3 years).
-Submitted by the Secret Panda Society

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Kids sing along songs
Nice little app with 5 common nursery rhymes - great for singing to your little one(s).

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I here Ewe - Animal Sounds for Toddlers
Simple animal sound app for babies and toddlers (great for ages 6-18 months)

-submitted by Raquel

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Shapes Toddler Preschool
Shape recognition app (and other quizzes) for older toddlers (18-24 months). Great for developing fine motor skills and hand-eye-coordination.

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Toddler Flashcards (free)
The name says it all - an app that displays flashcards to prompt toddlers to say (announce) the object / concept they see on the screen. Great for traveling and you'll never ever lose a cardboard flashcard again or have it chewed to bits by your dog.

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If this guy can become an involved and nurturing father, anyone can do it

One of our authors "Kelly Crull" has written a book about his experience of becoming a dad. Here's a little description about his book and an offer for a free download of the first few chapters - check it out!

Within weeks of getting pregnant, Kelly Crull's wife had a stack of parenting books waiting on his nightstand, complete with neat, hand-written bookmarks telling him which chapters he needed to read. In nine months, he had learned everything about his wife giving birth, becoming a mother, and how he could support her. What he actually wanted was a book by a normal guy telling him about becoming a dad. The last thing he needed was more expert advice, a ten-step plan or fancy pie charts. He just wanted someone to give it to him straight, “What was parenting going to be like for him?”. So he wrote a book on what it felt like to become a dad - it's called "Becoming Dad" and covers:

* visiting the gynecologist with your wife
* breaking a sweat in your wife's childbirth class

10 Items Kids Find Almost Impossible to Share

One of the values that parents like to pass along to their children is the importance of sharing. Like anything else in parenting, even the strongest efforts are met with varying degrees of success. Some children really struggle with the concept of sharing. Even kids who are generous by nature will not share a few particular things. Here's a list of 10 things that even the most giving children have trouble sharing.

• Affection – displays of affection often make children irrationally jealous; most kids can’t stand to share the affection of a parent or caregiver.
  
• Comfort Objects – whether it's a special teddy bear or a blankie, these items are totally off limits for other kids.
  
• Attention – the attention of the people children care about it something that almost all kids find it difficult to share.

Say your name

When your child gets lost somewhere in a mall or park you can help them find their way back to you by getting them to learn/memorize some essential information. You can start with children as young as 2 years ... here's a list in order of complexity:

1. Child knows his/her own name
   
2. knows the first name of their dad, mum or guardian (i.e. not "mummy" or "daddy" but the actual name)
   
3. knows the name of the suburb / street where they live
   
4. knows the full name of their dad, mum or guardian (i.e. firstname and lastname)
   
5. is able to correctly spell the full name of their mum, dad or guardian
   
6. knows where dad, mum or guardian work (name of the company/organisation)
   
7. Is able to correctly say the full home telephone number / work or cell numbers of any parent/guardian
   
8. knows the full home address including house number and can spell the street name

There's some homework for you! :-)

-Stef

Study on Fathers and Stepfathers

Jessica Ladage, researcher at the Psychology department of Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia is conducting a survey for her dissertation. The study is about paternal involvement in childcare, fatherhood and parenting attitudes. Jessica is looking for dads to participate in her survey and is rewarding participants with a chance to win one of eight $50 Amazon gift cards.

To be eligible to participate in the study, you must:
* Be a father or stepfather
* Have at least one child 12 years or younger who lives in your home at least 50% of the time
* Be married to the child's biological mother.

The survey will take approximately 25 minutes to complete.

If you are interested, click on this link.

The study and survey has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia and is supervised by Dr. Michelle L. Kelley.

Good luck

Stefan

Help your kids develop - use playdough

Most kids love playing with playdough but we recently found out that this activity is also a fantastic way to develop and enhance fine motor skills. Playing with playdough is particularly useful for toddlers and preschoolers to develop skills which will help them with writing and drawing. When the kids are a little older, get them to make letters and write their name with dough! Great fun and the perfect educational activity! So get stuck into playdough! Here's a super simple recipe to make your own playdough:

What you need:

• 2 cups of baking soda
  
• 1 1/2 cup of water
  
• 1 cup of corn starch
  
• food coloring (if you want to give your dough some color)

What to do:
1. Mix the ingredients with a fork or whisk
2. Pour into a pot and boil until the mixture congeals (should take only a few minutes)

Done!

Enjoy,

Sef