ParentMap, June 2010 Issue

Published on: June 01, 2010


June ParentMap  

Silly Daddy!

Is your fathering style rubber chicken...or rough and tumble? Mariners...or Masterpiece Theater? Outdoorsy....or just The Doors??

Whatever your daddy type, we've got the perfect day planned for you. You might discover a fun new family tradition!

Also this month, a look at a serious problem for many dads: postpartum depression...part #1 of our series on divorce...and your u-pick guide to berry season.

Happy Father's Day!

Subscribe Now!Read the entire issue online, or scroll down for links and cool online only content.

Ages & Stages:

Out & About:

Feature: Adventures with Dad!

Regulars:

Getting School Ready:

Online only! Click here for this month's special "online only" content.

About this issue

Let’s leave politics aside.

We pulled the Obama magnet off my fridge because he fit the concept in many ways of what he appears to be to his children: a great dad. (“Adventures with Dad”). More urban than geek, more culture than nature, and absolutely more sports than retro.

Like Malia and Sasha, my kids got lucky. When I married the man of my dreams way last century, I was not focused on the father he would become. As with any new role, be it parent, President or receptionist, until you’re actually filling the post, who really knows how you will fare?
Like our nation’s leader, my husband Bobby is a gentleman; long and lean, goes with ease to both a basketball and court of law with a skilled “game,” models hard work (Obama appears to have more balance!) and integrity, and has an unmatched wit and sense of humor. You can count close friends of Bobby’s on half a hand — he prefers being with his family. But throughout 24 years of parenting devotion, our sacred Saturday date night is most often and happily just the two of us in our fixed routine: Tup Tim Thai and a movie.

Obama wrote some words publicly to his daughters (Parade Magazine, Jan., 2009) that easily could have been penned by many fathers, including Arielle, Eli and Maya’s: “. . . you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore.” But like our nation’s leader, our family’s leader (Laugh! Bobby will too. It’s gift #1 for father’s day!) consistently models the obligation to work on behalf of others, right any wrongs you can, and give others the benefit of the doubt.

As Obama concludes, “Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.”
Happy Father’s Day!

— Alayne Sulkin, Publisher/Editor

Now on KINDLE! Beyond Smart, Boosting Your Child’s Social, Emotional and Academic Potential by Linda Morgan and Getting to Calm: Cool-headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens and Teens by Laura S. Kastner, Ph.D., and Jennifer Wyatt, Ph.D.

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