Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Spoiled for choice. How do you decide which path to take to have children after a vasectomy? Do you do a vasectomy reversal or undergo a sperm retrieval and assisted reproduction (IVF-ICSI). Stuck between a pillow and a soft place now becomes a pillow and a laboratory. Analysis...Continue reading
Category: Family
Should You Get a Flu Shot If You’re Trying to Conceive?
It’s flu season. And you’re trying to conceive or maybe you’re pregnant. Should you get a flu shot? For those of you who never get the flu, here is the modern definition: A terrible sickness where you feel like you shouldn’t be able to walk, but somehow you can. For about a week, everything is...Continue reading
What Makes Male Poverty Unique
Derrick, a 28-year-old Richmond, Ca., man with an associate’s degree, loves his job doing after-school mentoring, tutoring, and coaching sports with elementary students in west Oakland, but with only 21 hours at work each week at $12.50 per hour, he struggles to pay his $1,400 rent and take care of his 1-year-old daughter. “I like...
Millions of Fathers—and Families—Need a Raise
Steven Wilkerson, a former Marine who fought in Iraq and a father of three, makes $8 an hour at a Tampa fast-food restaurant. He usually gets off work and takes the bus home at 10 p.m., too late to see his kids before they go to bed. Wilkerson, 28, is just one of millions of...
A Tale of Two Fathers
Jemal has had four daughters with two women—two of his daughters in their 20s, two in preschool—but is living with none of them. A thoughtful 47-year-old African American man in a large Eastern city, he knows he “made mistakes” and said “I don’t want to repeat them with my younger daughter.” Jemal is among about...Continue reading
Dads in the Military
Dear Mr. Dad: I’m in the military and about to deploy. I have two children under 5 and a third who will be born while I’m gone. What should I do prepare (them, my wife, and myself) before I leave? A: At any given moment, there are about half a million children under five in military...Continue reading
Fellas, Open Enrollment Starts Today—Everything You Need to Know About Health Plans in 2019
Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and NFL Sundays aren’t the only things happening in November. Today kicks off the annual open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare. With it brings a slew of options for millions of Americans shopping for health insurance for 2019. But are you confused about where to buy insurance on...Continue reading
The Benefits of Sports, Part 1
Dear Mr. Dad: You’ve talked a lot about kids and sports. Why are sports so important? A: Kids these days have it tougher than we did when we were their age. Today’s kids live in a world where social media puts every aspect of their lives under a harsh microscope—something we and our parents and grandparents...Continue reading
Ways to Show Your Pregnant Partner That You Care
Dear Mr. Dad: You often talk about how to be an involved dad, but how can I be an involved husband, especially while my wife is pregnant? A: Here are some ideas that will boost your popularity at home and make your wife the envy of all of her friends, pregnant or otherwise: Offer to give...Continue reading
Toilet Training Without Tears (Yours or Your Child’s)
Dear Mr. Dad: My baby is nearly two. When’s the right time to start potty training and how do we do it? A: I’ve always maintained that changing diapers is a highly underrated bonding experience—especially for dads. But no matter how fondly you recall the experience, most of us are delighted when we can put that...Continue reading
