All too many men today have had to mentor themselves into manhood. As a result, a toxic masculine culture has evolved which glorifies a man’s aggressive, competitive, and controlling nature. Bolstered by our media culture, it perpetuates the myth of the “self-made man” compelling men to lead lives of isolation, void of deep, meaningful and...Continue reading
Category: Growing Up
Men Have Biological Clocks, Too–and They Tick Just as Loudly
Children conceived by women over 35 are known to have and increased risk of being born with Down syndrome and a variety of other birth defects. But a brand new study just revealed that the father’s age is important too. Children of older fathers are at increased risk of developing autism and schizophrenia.
Acknowledging Brain Injuries in the NFL: Are We Taking Away Our (Super)heroes?
February 5, 2012 set a new record for American television. According to the NFL, approximately 111.3 million people tuned in to see the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, making it the most watched primetime telecast in American history. Two weeks from Sunday, the next NFL season begins. Fans...
Divorced Fathers: Shared Residential Sustody – An Increasingly Popular Choice
For those divorced fathers who are currently in the process of creating or re-negotiating your parenting plans (“visitation” schedule) for your children, consider the benefits of shared residential custody. By this, I mean having your children live with you 35%-50% of the time. Many states have revised or are in the process of revising their...Continue reading
Why is the ACLU bullying public schools?
Here’s a little quiz for you. It’s multiple choice. Who is best qualified to say how a boy in West Virginia should be educated? A) The boy’s parents B) The boy’s teachers C) Attorneys who have never met the boy, but who work for an organization with national headquarters in Manhattan If you answered (A) or (B), you’d...Continue reading
Teens at risk–and the adults who aren’t paying enough attention
72% of all deaths among young people aged 10–24 years were caused by one of four causes: car crashes (26%), other unintentional injuries (17%), homicide (16%), and suicide (13%). And hundreds of thousands of teens are affected by non-fatal but life-disrupting conditions such as sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and teen pregnancy. The big problem is...
Kids Versus The New Relationship
One of the greatest challenges for fathers who have switched from “husband” to “single dad” is figuring out the tricky mix of new love interest — or sometimes just new intimate partner — and your children. I’ve experienced the gamut myself as a single dad for almost five years, and I have my own rules...Continue reading
How to Break the Man Code
There is an unwritten rule that everyone with testicles must follow: the only safe subjects you can talk about when in the company of other men are sports, work and women. If a guy steps out of that box and starts talking about anything else, like faith or emotions, he is automatically kicked out of...Continue reading
For the skeptics: The research on dads’ influence on girls’ puberty
Several people took issue (some in an unfortunately hostile way) with my post that mentioned research showing that girls with involved biological fathers start puberty later than those with a non-biological father or no father at all. So to satisfy the critics, here are several citations that should satisfy your inner (and not-so-inner) skeptic.
For Girls, Puberty at Age 6? That’s One of the Best Reasons to Be an Involved Dad
More and more girls are starting puberty early. Some as early as six! If you’ve got daughters–and I’ve got three of ’em–there are a few things you really, really need to know. Let’s start with the good news, some of which I’ve written about extensively. Girls who have actively involved dads start puberty later than...Continue reading
