Parenting 80
My son is my Equal…. for fifteen minutes a day
My sons and daughters say yes sir and no sir. Not because it comes naturally to them, but because we’ve raised them to do so. Some folks give me dirty looks, or think I’m propping myself up, trying to instill some level of fear of adults in them. “We don’t make our kids say yes […]
Dad’s Monday Mind Dump: 6/4/17
Every once in awhile, the brain gets full and needs to be emptied. For the plaid dads, the Monday Mind Dump is where it happens. In no particular order, here’s what’s on Aaron’s mind: I recently got nine hours of sleep with one very brief interruption from my oldest boy. I normally get around five […]
Dad’s Monday Mind Dump: 5/22/17
Every once in awhile, the brain gets full and needs to be emptied. For the plaid dads, the Monday Mind Dump is where it happens. In no particular order, here’s what’s on Aaron’s mind: Parenting sucks sometimes. Yes, I know I signed up for it. Yes, I know how it happens. Yes, it still sucks […]
Adoption: The Struggle is Real
“NO!” For the one thousandth time, he screams “No!” Long; drawn out. With every single breath, “NO!” He knows (I’m certain he knows) it grates my nerves. Every night, we battle. I need him to go to bed. He’s determined to stay as far away from his bed as possible. He wiggles. He wrestles. He […]
Quick Thoughts on Dadding Boys
The plaid dads have big families. Between us, we have nine children. Five of them were made the old fashioned way, and four of them were–or, in my case, in the process of being–adopted. I can only make girls. My wife and I have three of them. They are, as of the writing of this […]
Seven Things My Homeschooled Children Are Missing Out On
At long last, after yet another hot, adventurous summer, all the children have returned to school. And all the parents breathed a collective sigh of “Hallelujah!” Bring on autumn, football, colorful leaves, pumpkin spice, and several hours a day without the little rugrats trying to destroy the house and whining about being bored. For homeschooling parents, […]
Black and Blue and Red All Over
I’ve wrestled with, prayed about, and rewritten this post more times than I can count. I still don’t have it right. Please forgive this post for its weaknesses; glean from what strengths it may have. I lack the words to adequately express the growing burden on my mind and heart as I wrestle with the reality […]
Quick Thoughts on Dadding a Big Family
It’s Sunday night. This post is due last week. Unfortunately, I ran out of time. Being a dad to five kids will do that. Between feeding all these tiny people, making sure they don’t leave the house without pants, and preventing them from burning the house down, fathering will spend your time. As I try to […]
Must-Have Packing List for a Successful Beach Trip
American philosopher and shock rocker Alice Cooper said it best: School’s out for summer. Here in the coastal American south, that means one thing: beach trips. Most day trips only require you to hop in the car and go. Beach trips, however, are special. They require special clothes and accessories. Pack correctly, and you’ll make […]
Six Myths About Social Media Outrage
Last week, the entire social media universe erupted in anger over the death of a gorilla at a zoo in Cincinnati. #JusticeForHarambe became a trending hashtag overnight. Social media justice warriors butchered and shamed the mother of the child for days. Everyone was suddenly a zoologist specializing in silverback gorilla behavior. If I hear or […]
Five Things I’ve Learned About Raising Girls
Last week, I shared some wisdom I learned on-the-job about raising boys as we’re adjusting to our foster sons whom we’re in the process of adopting. Since I helped make three daughters the old fashioned way, I figured I’d share some things I’ve learned about raising girls. I’ve raised girls for fourteen years, so I’m […]
Five Things I’ve Learned About Raising Boys
They’ve been here together for over two months. Eating our food. Sleeping in our home. Running roughshod laps through the halls. Tearing up my girls’ toys. Screaming at all hours of the day (and most nights). My boys. My sons. They aren’t official ours yet. They’re our foster sons, and the adoption process has begun. These […]
Bonds of #RealStrength
“Is it still going on?” With those words, fellow plaid dad Christian revealed that he knows just a shade more about college basketball than your ordinary garden slug. He had no idea that the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was still underway. Christian’s more of a baseball guy. He loves his Boston Red Sawx. He loves […]
When Adoption Takes Your Time, Money, And Sleep – All You Have Left Is Love To Give
I’ve been AWOL from Plaid Dad Blog recently. I’ve written no posts. I’ve recorded no episodes for the Screaming Dads Podcast. I feel like I need to apologize. But I won’t. I’ve been busy dadding. Fathering my three girls. Fathering two brothers that will one day be my sons. My wife and I expected a […]
Our Household Civil War
We all sat rapt in front of the television. I personally had seen it ten times already, but I wanted to show my wife and kids. Even OllieMac, the 2.5 year old, sat silent, gazing upon the screen with unabashed awe. Then it happened….. Spider-Man grabs Cap’s shield and it’s finally revealed. The web slinger […]
Three Things Not to Do to Survive Your Wife’s Cold
What are the six scariest words a wife could tell her husband? “My mother is coming over tonight.” “I’m sure glad football is over.” “Trump will make a great president.” As frightening as those statements are, they’re benign compared to this: “I think I’m getting a cold.” For the typical husband, this combination of words […]
Five Slang Terms You Must Know to Communicate with Your Teen
Language supposedly evolves over time. I’m not sure that’s true of English. It’s a complex, ridiculous language. What other spoken dialect forces new speakers to navigate the differences between tough, dough, plough, and through? I think English was in its prime in the early 17th century. Shakespeare and the King James Version of the Bible […]
