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Recent Articles

The self-centered parent

Whining, obnoxious, overly tired, constantly hungry, distracted, self-centered snots. And those are the parents. Before I had kids of my own, a friend came over and trashed my house with her red-headed demon child. As she watched with bemused detachment, her 5-year-old tossed each and every one

Why fathers matter: Building stronger bonds through emotion coaching

"I only want to be with Daddy!” yells 4-year-old Marcus. His mom’s firm reply: “It’s time for all of us to leave the park together.” It looks like a stand-off is shaping up, when suddenly, Marcus’ dad jumps up and shouts, “I’ll race you to the car!” Both dad and son sprint off. This scene, witn

Full-time Daddy: Big Changes in a Bad Economy

In April 2008, I was laid off from The Seattle Times, after working there my entire adult life. When I called my wife, Jane, and told her, she was silent for a moment. Then she became chipper and said, “Well, we can stop worrying about summer camps now!” It was our son Geoff’s first summer out

Bug deal: A father-son outing to an insect zoo

As the weather warms and spring turns to summer, unending yard work is the order of the day. While I yank weeds and lay pavers, my 5-year-old son, Geoffrey, joins in, excavating soil with pro-grade yard tools and peering under rocks in search of bugs. Usually the most he finds is a lowly worm or per

A dad's take on Libby Lu and other 'girl' pressures

As the father of a precocious and engaged 5-year-old, I was tagged with the recent parenting responsibility to accompany my daughter to a birthday party at Libby Lu, self-described as a "special secret club for super fabulous girls where they can get makeover parties, play games, get advice, and

Dads dive into the stay-at-home role

It was check-up day for 3-month-old Seattle twins Jack and Lauren. Their parents, Alan and Sarah Chitlik, were both there. "Mom, how much are they eating?" the nurse asked. "Are all their immunizations up to date, Mom?" Alan Chitlik tried not to be annoyed. He knew the answers to all those q

Raves: Great gifts for new (or gently used!) dads

Vested interest Just try to pry this cool urban dad vest off your man! Not since Seinfeld’s “man purse” has a guy’s accessory been so thoroughly useful. The DadGear Diaper Vest is literally a wearable diaper bag, with pockets for diapers, wipes, bottles — and even a changing pad hidden in the bac

Great gifts for new (or gently used!) dads

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