I read a very troubling article the other day, written by the esteemed Dr. William Sears, M.D. The article, titled, “The Daddy-Baby Connection: Everyday Ways to Help Them Bond” is the perfect example of why Foodad and I started Noodad.com . In it, Dr. Sears gives great advice to new moms and in the process paints the picture of a clueless, powerless, bumbling new dad who is basically a sad sac.
There may be those types of guys out there, but there is a difference between being clueless, and being a total loser. If you are a dad reading this, you may conclude that, according to Dr. Sears, your wife knows everything and you don’t know $#!t. So let me bring some reality into this situation. Read the rest of this entry »
This is the second installment of our weekly feature: Ask the Chick. The chick is Latia Harris (pictured above), a noodad reader and mom with a lot of answers for you. Each week, Latia will answer the questions you don’t have the balls to ask your own wives.
Q: Dear Chick, I like to show affection to my wife and mother of my 2 kids. Sometimes that involves pinching her on the butt both in private and in public. My kids think it’s funny. My wife does not. How do I keep the “fire” alive without making her feel embarrassed? -The Pincher
My daughter got bullied last week in school. Let me tell you, it was the worst feeling in the world. There is nothing worse than tasting that first bite of the realization, that you can't protect them forever.
Here's how it all went down. My daughter was chillin' at recess with her pink Barbie sunglasses and a group of 3 "friends" knocked off her sunglasses to the ground and told her that they weren't going to play with her. Instead of my daughter crying or telling the teacher, she used her sphere of influence and told the other kids what happened (hopefully in hopes of turning the majority vote onto her side) Read the rest of this entry »
When most of us were kids, we celebrated our birthdays in a minimalist fashion. Parents mostly hosted the parties at home, the birthday kid invited a handful of friends over to play some Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey, everyone ate homemade cake and Hood ice cream off paper plates with plastic sporks, and guests left with a Loot Bag containing a few pieces of candy and maybe a yo-yo. If you’ve been out of the kids’ birthday party circuit for a while, prepare for the steady flow of invites once your kid reaches school age. Today, many parents opt for an outside-the-home party at places like Chuck E. Cheese’s, Gymboree or other play gym venue, or indoor sports complexes. If the party is at the home, it might feature a bounce house, a magician, or a professional storyteller. And all these things add up. If you’re frustrated with this generation’s birthday party arms race, you’re not alone. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, first off let's be clear. We aren't talking about your naps. Your sleeping-in-the- middle-of-the-day times are over — at least until your kids reach school age. I'm talking about the time in the day when you tuck your kid in and have some time for yourself.
Naps kick ass! No matter how much of a bear your kids can be, you can typically take solace that in a couple of hours, they will be asleep in their rooms and you can have a matinee showing of the back of your eyelids. Then, typically, after an hour or so, your kids have a recharged battery and they are relatively sane again for a few more hours. Read the rest of this entry »
There were 112 other people on the plane who expected to arrive at their destination on time. Air Tran's staff absolutely did the correct thing by kicking them off of the plane**. I know that kids can be troublesome, but as a parent you need to be able to at the VERY LEAST get your kid in their seat on time.
This is the primary reason that people traveling with small children are allowed to pre-board*. The airlines understand that it is difficult to travel with children. Now what is not clear in the situation is how much time the family had to board. It's not clear whether they were given any time to calm down the kid. The article says that the plane was already 15 minutes late, but not that the family caused the tardiness.
Kids love stories. And sometimes, the only thing that can get your kid to bed is to tell them a bedtime story. But kids these days don't settle for the Pokey Little Puppy, or the Little Engine That Could. They crave something more exciting. Something with more raw, unadulterated, excitement. And if you have a daughter like mine, you need to deliver a princess story on demand, every night before your little princess goes to sleep.
But when you're coming off a crappy day at work and all you want to do is catch American Idol at 8, the last thing you want to do is whip up a story in your head. Read the rest of this entry »
So, you’ve had one kid and you want to give
your son or daughter a younger brother to whale on or a little sister to tease
(Hey, don’t look at me.I didn’t make
the rules—that’s just what older siblings do.).The OB has
deemed your wife’s body ready to make babies once again, but this time around
there’s the wild card of kid number one factored into the upcoming trials and
tribulations of pregnancy and a newborn. Granted, the choice of how soon your wife gets pregnant may not be up to
you; but, in a perfect world, how soon after the first do you want to have a
second?Spit them out one after another,
or provide some buffer years between them?
There are pros and cons to both sides of the argument, so let’s hear ‘em. Which brings us to this week's questions:
We all want our sons to be successful, but do we really mean it? Today’s kids are walking around with names like Ethan, Logan, Hunter and Willem. While these may sound cool, chances may be better that you will end up with a Mixed Martial Arts dynamo than a dominant force financial success. According to the US Government, in 2005 the most popular boy names were Jacob, Michael, Joshua, Matthew and Ethan. Some of you are on the right track to having powerful kids, but some are flat out reading the wrong books, naming after the wrong relatives or watching too much TV.
There is a system for everything and like any system, if you put garbage in, you should not expect to be riding the gravy train out. So where should we be looking for inspiration? Actors? HARDLY! There is very little chance that your kid is going to be a great and powerful actor. Even if they are, they are then subjected to the fickleness of the public on a daily basis as well as constant hounding by the paparazzi. Who would wish that on their worst enemey? Paris Hilton maybe. How about U.S. Presidents? Senators? Congressmen? I don't think so. The best chance for success is in the business world. The most powerful people in the business world tend to be the CEOs of the Fortune 1000. That is where we wil look for inspiration. Here we can aim for CEO and be happy with senior management and thrilled with executive management.
Having your first kid is stressful, scary as hell, and drop dead amazing all at once. But, should you be fortunate to share the responsibilities with a spouse, you have the ability to tag team all the screams, cries, vomit, and piss on the walls. You have one responsibility and you do everything you can to take care of that little bugger.
Having another kid, on the other hand, evens out the teams. Now you need to worry about KID A (god, I love Radiohead) and KID B. You have to worry about meeting each of their needs. And you have to worry about how they both interact with you and your wife, and how they interact with each other. Read the rest of this entry »
I read a very troubling article the other day, written by the esteemed Dr. William Sears, M.D. The article, titled, “The Daddy-Baby Connection: Everyday Ways to Help Them Bond” is the perfect example of why Foodad and I started Noodad.com . In it, Dr. Sears gives great advice to new moms and in the process paints the picture of a clueless, powerless, bumbling new dad who is basically a sad sac.
This is the second installment of our weekly feature: Ask the Chick. The chick is Latia Harris (pictured above), a noodad reader and mom with a lot of answers for you. Each week, Latia will answer the questions you don’t have the balls to ask your own wives.
My daughter got bullied last week in school. Let me tell you, it was the worst feeling in the world. There is nothing worse than tasting that first bite of the realization, that you can't protect them forever. 
When most of us were kids, we celebrated our birthdays in a minimalist fashion. Parents mostly hosted the parties at home, the birthday kid invited a handful of friends over to play some Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey, everyone ate homemade cake and Hood ice cream off paper plates with plastic sporks, and guests left with a Loot Bag containing a few pieces of candy and maybe a yo-yo. If you’ve been out of the kids’ birthday party circuit for a while, prepare for the steady flow of invites once your kid reaches school age. Today, many parents opt for an outside-the-home party at places like Chuck E. Cheese’s, Gymboree or other play gym venue, or indoor sports complexes. If the party is at the home, it might feature a bounce house, a magician, or a professional storyteller. And all these things add up. If you’re frustrated with this generation’s birthday party arms race, you’re not alone.
Well, first off let's be clear. We aren't talking about your naps. Your sleeping-in-the- middle-of-the-day times are over — at least until your kids reach school age. I'm talking about the time in the day when you tuck your kid in and have some time for yourself. 
Did I forget to mention it was still on the ground?
Kids love stories. And sometimes, the only thing that can get your kid to bed is to tell them a bedtime story. But kids these days don't settle for the Pokey Little Puppy, or the Little Engine That Could. They crave something more exciting. Something with more raw, unadulterated, excitement. And if you have a daughter like mine, you need to deliver a princess story on demand, every night before your little princess goes to sleep.
We all want our sons to be successful, but do we really mean it? Today’s kids are walking around with names like Ethan, Logan, Hunter and Willem. While these may sound cool, chances may be better that you will end up with a Mixed Martial Arts dynamo than a dominant force financial success. 
Having your first kid is stressful, scary as hell, and drop dead amazing all at once. But, should you be fortunate to share the responsibilities with a spouse, you have the ability to tag team all the screams, cries, vomit, and piss on the walls. You have one responsibility and you do everything you can to take care of that little bugger.
