Hello, I am a digital dad trying to figure this shit out for myself so I can pass my learnings on to my kids. It's a work in progress....
My oldest really got to me last night. All I needed was for him to wash his hands before dinner. This is a normal the routine that he has been doing for months. He enjoys washing his hands! He likes watching the soap bubbles squish as he rubs his hands together. We even have a hand washing song. It's a non issue. Not today. It started with "No." It's a uniquely frustrating word, and guaranteed to…
I am spending a few days away from my family. I have a work trip taking me away from Monday morning until Thursday evening. It is the longest I have been away since we had our first kid, and only the second time I've been away for more than a night. I miss my family more than I can describe. Especially my 2 year old. He's turning into such a sweet, funny kid. Monday morning he came into our room…
This is not a political blog. I have no plans or intentions of turning it into a political blog. That said, raising kids in the USA comes with a lot of anxieties and oh man are a chunk of those anxieties political. So here we are. I think this post by Absurd Pirate gets a lot right. The centrist wing of the Democratic party absolutely believes it is sufficient to just not be Trump. The same way it…
My mother won't stop calling my oldest a genius. That may seem like a humble-brag, and it is a little, but as a recovering Gifted Kid I can tell you how badly being known as brainy can mess you up. I'm trying to be really intentional about how to approach these topics with my own kids. Like everything in life there are tradeoffs. My issue was that being the smartest kid became my identity. I…
Today, while I was picking the boys up from daycare, my oldest ran the full length of a hallway, big smile on his face, and launched himself into my chest for a hug. When I scooped him up into a proper bear hug he laughed and squealed. All the good juices got flowing in my brain. These moments are why people say being a parent is the best thing in the world. I was talking about moments like this…
I used to love The West Wing. I still like it well enough. The dialog is snappy, the characters are interesting and engaging, and the cast is a miracle of an ensemble. Maybe I'll get into the love to like transition in another post. Today I'm thinking about S1E4 "Five Votes Down" where Leo McGarry, explaining to his wife, Jenny, why he scheduled a meeting in the middle of their rescheduled…
I suppose this should have been the first post. Oh Well. Hi there! I'm MusingFather, a 36 year old father of 2 boys, a 2 year old and a 3 month old. Ever since I was young I have been intrigued by technology. My highschool and college years were at the height of the smartphone revolution, the social media revolution, and the downfall of traditional mainstream media. At the time I thought these…
I am terrified of the day my kid asks for a smartphone. Granted, my son is 2, and his brother is 3 months, so both I and society have some time to figure this out. That said, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I will say when my sons ask me for smartphones. I am pulled in two directions. On the one hand, there's lots of evidence that smartphones and social media are harmful for young…