Ideas for Parenting Kids

Great Dads Play GREAT SPORTS!

Submitted by doug on Sat, 09/26/2009 - 17:59

Remember when weekend play meant going outside, finding whoever was around, and playing whatever seemed fun at the time?  When the big kids taught the little kids how to choke up on a bat, kick a football, or shoot a foul shot?  When sports were fun for everybody, regardless of skill level?  Well we do, and it’s important you do as well.

The world of kids sports has become over competitive, over parentized, and over organized.  It’s time to get sports back into the family.  That’s right...kids and parents playing together.  A number of years ago my good friend Dave Raichle created a program in Cincinnati called Great Sports!  The program is designed to bring moms, dads, sisters and brothers together to participate in a semi-organized day of sports fun.

If I hear "why" one more time..

Submitted by doug on Sun, 08/23/2009 - 07:41

It is absolutely crazy how many times we can be asked "why" by our kids.  Just when we think we have exhausted all the possible whys another is surely to follow.  Why is the sky blue?  Why are peas green?  Why are carrots good for your eyes?  Why can’t I stay up?  Why do I have to drink all my milk?  Why, Why, Why?

There is only one thing that is more amazing than the number of whys we get asked.  It is the fact that we always seem to have an answer.  (Even if we have to make it up.)  The only other option is to fall into the easy trap of proclaiming, "because"--and we’ve all done that.  Saying “because” certainly does not deal with the inquiry; but, it does send a clear message to the kids that we have heard enough "whys" for a few minutes.  The question is:  Is that the message we really want to send?

DADS - just say YES to spending time with your kids

Submitted by doug on Sat, 07/18/2009 - 08:12

You can't watch an hour of television without seeing an ad for a new automobile or a commercial about drug abuse in America.  Rock stars, television personalities, and politicians all have the same message...stop using drugs.  Millions and millions of dollars have been spent on this campaign to have kids "just say no."  Ask yourself, has it worked?  Just say no!

Young children are being inundated with commercials and inspirational speakers talking about the downfall of drug abuse.  Kids are not stupid.   They know they shouldn't use drugs. They only need to hear that message a couple of times.

The reason drug use is still so high is that the powers that be are missing the point.  Using drugs is not the problem; it is only the symptom.  The real problem is that kids are bored out of their minds, they see no hope, and--most important--they feel like they just don't belong.  Kids are still turning to drugs because they believe there is nothing else.

Well, here's a news bulletin: we dads are the “something else” they need!  It is our responsibility to get our kids excited about things.  It is our job to help them realize they have endless potential and the future is theirs.  And, it is our mission to make darn sure they feel valued in their own family.  It's called establishing a sense of belonging.

Psst here's what dad really wanted for fathers day

Submitted by doug on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 10:35

A gift expert once said that gifts are a means for communicating to others what values we want them to develop. A brother might give a book on self-reliance to a sister who has low self-esteem. An uncle might give his nephew tickets to a ball game to get him more interested in sports. A wife might even give her husband bread-baking lessons. The message: Bake the bread, don't just earn it.

A quick tour of the local mall last weekend some pretty pitiful ideas that were being pushed on unsuspecting kids and moms as the ultimate gift for recognizing Father's Day.

There was the "My Goofy Dad" display of merchandise at the Walt Disney Store, funny but in a really stupid way. In other stores, dorky shirts and hats abound -- the type that only Chevy Chase would wear in his father films. Again, funny -- but really corny. Finally, as ties have disappeared from the workplace, tie manufacturers are working to keep the business. So everywhere there are ties with foolish designs and sayings on them, trying way too hard to look hip and fun.

Don't they get it? The dad of the new millennium doesn't like wearing neck tourniquets.

Parenting Idea - Breaking free from the nothing, fine, nowhere rut

Submitted by doug on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 21:03

        Have you ever tried to start a conversation with your child and felt you might as well be talking to one of those Magic 8 balls? Sometimes we have to practically turn our kids upside down to get a response -- and when the kids do open their mouths, they close them again after one or two words.

            It's a common concern. The first word most kids learn to say is "Dad," mostly because D's are easier for them to spit out than M's, as in "Mom." Shortly after that, they utter their first sentence: "Duh, Dad." Before long, they know three more sentences: "Nothing," "Fine" and "Nowhere."  

How to be a hero to your kids

Submitted by doug on Tue, 05/19/2009 - 06:05

All dads want to be heroes to their kids.
            Being a hero to our kids is something we dads tend to care more about than our female counterparts. It's a trait that's mixed in somewhere in the deep, dark genetic jungle of the male mind-set.
            Each of us wants our kids to see us as an intrepid Indiana Jones type with an exotic personal history; a superhuman being from whose chest bullets bounce; a fearless individual beneath whose mild-mannered exterior beats the heart of a lion.

Helping Children Deal with Fears

Submitted by doug on Mon, 05/18/2009 - 07:35

          When it comes to trying something new, your child is a fraidy cat.

            Being a fraidy cat isn't all bad. Kids who don't exercise some degree of caution are kids who don't look before they leap. Emergency rooms are filled with them

         On the other hand, it's important for a child to have a spirit of adventure, especially in terms of being willing to try new things. This is what enables a child to grow. It's what fuels aspirations in childhood and beyond.

It's time to stop whining and start believing in our kids

Submitted by doug on Fri, 05/15/2009 - 07:45

            As mentioned in the purpose to Brain Brew Cafe - my writing is all about inspiring idea for thinking smarter and more creatively.   The primary focus may be on innovations and business - however I'll also be writing about other areas where ideas are needed and that personally interest me.

          One of those is parenting.  A number of years ago I wrote a column called Great Aspirations! for Universal Press Syndicate with Dr. Russ Quaglia, director of the National Center for Student Aspirations at the University of Maine.  Here on the Brain Brew Blog, I'm going to take those columns from 10 years ago and update them.