A Business Plan for Raising Boys

Tis the Season for Dad to lead

matt — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:48:44 +0000

Tis the season and the time of life. This past weekend we (my son and I) were preparing to play a very tough and disciplined basketball team from across town. Our “game plan” called for a morning workout the day of the game consisting of dribbling and shooting. Game day arrived and we headed to [...]

Men wanted for hazardous journey

matt — Fri, 06 May 2011 06:06:35 +0000

“MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY, SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS” This was the classified ad supposedly placed by Ernest Shackleton in London newspapers before one of his expeditions. It has been widely cited by many writers and speakers as [...]

Too much planning can lead to self reliance but too little can lead to an unnecessary crisis

matt — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:12:31 +0000

As a father I love learning from my son. My son has taught me to enjoy the journey. As many men do I continue to make plans for my own life and the life of my family but they rarely turn out the way I had imagined. However, to quote George Patten “A good plan violently [...]

Heir to a Dream-hoops and haircuts

matt — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:34:22 +0000

Lately I have been thinking about what kind of legacy will I leave my son? Coaching my son in basketball this past season has been a dream. I watch in admiration as he executes the plays as outlined on my coaching clipboard, constantly encourages, and unselfishly looks for the open teammate. But as I watch [...]

Real Men, Real Significance!

matt — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:49:16 +0000

New Years Resolution Time: How about trying something NEW this year?? Begin by asking yourself “Who am I?” this Q will help you make 2011 a real NEW year, rather than a self-centered recycling effort. 1. What’s the purpose of my life? This should be more than the old “been there, done that” and hopefully go [...]

Impact Player

matt — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:15:09 +0000

In the amazing book, Season of Life, author Jeffrey Marx writes, “What happens when you decide to be a man built for others? You strap on the oxygen tank and start climbing stairs to save people in the World Trade Center. When you’re the CEO of a company, you make sure everybody has a living wage, [...]

From Touchdowns to Homework to Pumpkins

matt — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 21:55:21 +0000

Dealing with Success and with Failure. That is what I love so much about watching my son both develop and reveal his character through sports. Today we lost. A loss is never easy but especially in the playoffs. I gave him a high five as my son came off the field, held him close, and then as reality set [...]

“Down, set, hut, hut – Do I have what it takes?”

matt — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:05:58 +0000

Football season- boys, it doesn’t get much better than this! There is a certain amount of excitement sitting in the stands cheering on your favorite team or if you are lucky being right on the sideline where you are right in front of the action. Helmets crashing, pushing and shoving, inches short of the first [...]

Lazy? Not an option in Water Polo

matt — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:07:18 +0000

Water polo is a great game! My son just finished his first year and I had the opportunity to be assistant to the assistant coach. I was amazed the first day when the coach said to all the prospective players “everyone in the pool, down and back three times”. I wasn’t even sure if he [...]

Hold Your Horses!

matt — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:27:07 +0000

Yesterday I was coming out of the gym and I overheard a father calling for his son. “Hold Your Horses”, yelled back the boy in a defiant tone. I was stunned. What ever happened to honor? Having grown up in a home with a father who was a military officer that kind of blatant disrespect [...]