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Author Archives: Jeff Allanach
The importance of empathy
Empathy has to be among the most important lessons we parents teach our children. After all, if children cannot understand and share the feelings of others, they will grow into adults who do little for others and care only about … Continue reading
Seeing the courage to forgive in ‘Courageous’
I expected “Courageous” to give me a renewed sense of dedication to living the life of a great father and setting the right example for my children. After all, the movie emphasizes the need for fathers to play an active … Continue reading
When does winning in youth sports become the ultimate goal?
At what point does winning in youth sports become the ultimate goal? Without question winning at the professional level is paramount. If Sunday’s Super Bowl proves anything it’s that America loves athletes who can perform well and win games, regardless … Continue reading
How stubborn can a 5-year-old boy be?
Stubbornness can be a wonderful trait in a person. After all, were it not for a stubborn inventor in the late 1800s, we might all still be reading at night by candlelight. But does it have to be innate? Parenthood … Continue reading
Advice for single mothers
Longtime readers know I grew up fatherless, the third of four children to a single mother. I can’t overstate the effect of fatherhood abandonment, but statistics tell part of the story. Children who grow up in fatherless homes are more … Continue reading
Today’s lesson: Walking away from your frustration
Given that it’s still January, I should probably tell you how I’m doing with all the new year’s resolutions I made for 2013. Of course, that would be a short post. I don’t even see how it could be a … Continue reading
A small victory in my three-year battle with CFL bulbs
I’m sure you’ve come here so early in 2013 expecting to read about new year’s resolutions and how I hope to be a better father this year than last. Believe me, I’ve been pecking away at such a post these … Continue reading
Don’t fear a conversation on gun control
What can I add to the discussion of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School? I’m merely a father of two elementary school-aged children who lives in suburban Maryland and has no knowledge of the shooting beyond what I’ve read, … Continue reading
A musical battle breaks out on the car radio
The radio wars have begun. I thought I could ward them off until Celeste was at least 12, but I did not take into account the power of Radio Disney and the ally it would have in satellite radio. They’ve … Continue reading
The middle of divorced parents is no place for a child
Why can’t divorced parents ask their children about their ex-spouse? That’s the essence of a question someone asked me after reading this post two weeks ago, and noted how I appreciated that my mother never asked me about my father … Continue reading