Parenting Tips

New Stay at Home Dads

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:46:00 +0000

I want to welcome all the dads entering the stay at home dad realm. You are entering the toughest job you will ever love. Because we have a tough economy, more dads are entering the stay at home dad status. I want you dads to know that you are not alone. Keep searching for resources and groups to join. Have fun with your kids because time will go fast. You will look back one day and know that your sacrifice to be there for your kids paid off greater than any paycheck or monetary investment. Here is one group in Tucson (one of my groups) doing their best for their kids (Tucson Cool Dads).

Vini Nunez
Agape Life Coaching

Dr. Kevin Leman on parenting

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:22:00 +0000

If you are in Tucson come see Dr. Kevin Leman on January 26th at Saguaro High Auditorium. He is a famous author and speaker on parenting and marriage. You can purchase tickets at East Side Covenant Church in Tucson. http://www.ecctucson.org/

If you miss out on his visit check out his books.

Dads and Play Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:47:00 +0000

Most dads are leary about taking their kids to play groups. They are uncomfortable dancing around with their little ones in public. What the heck!! Why not get silly for the sake of your little kids. I took my son to a play group today and man did he have fun. I know I looked pretty silly dancing around with my son but it was worth it. Although, it was fun seeing the mommys ponder the only stay at home dad in the group. There was a grandpa in the group but no other dads. I hope the moms didn't think I was hitting on them.

Take the chance guys. Act silly in public for your kids.

Vini Nunez
Agape Life Coaching LLC

The Life Role of Stay at Home Dads

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:49:00 +0000

I want to share with you a portion of a paper I am doing in graduate school. I chose to talk about Stay at home dads. Let me know what you think?

After a couple has children, society assumes the wife will stay home with them. Often, this is an assumed life role of the woman but in some instances men become the stay at home parent. Now, both partners usually work prior to having children and the woman usually has as much vested in her career as does her husband (McKay, 2008, ¶ 1). Putting away traditional role models of women as caregivers and men as bread winners, the decision to be the at-home parent is often based on which parent earns more money (McKay, ¶ 2). Other factors are based on who has the better health insurance policy, who stands to lose more by taking time off from their career, who is more flexible with their hours, and who can work from home (McKay). If this falls upon the father then he becomes the stay-at-home dad also known in society as fulltime father, Mr. Mom, or the domestic husband.
The most basic skill of being a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) is the care and welfare of the child. For example, one experience of a stay-at-home dad, a former Capitol Hill staffer and Yale graduate, expressed his primary concentration is in nurturing his children before house chores (Jayson, 2005, ¶ 2). Since there are limited stay-at-home male role models, this becomes a new life role for many men. Therefore, learning a new life role takes on unwanted stress.
The downfall of being a SAHD is the loneliness and isolation, loss of work peers, loss of career, loss of pay and having to catch up with peers when reentering the workforce. Another aspect is the loss of time for self. Because most men don’t understand the work involved in being a stay-at-home dad, they assume the dad has plenty of time on his hand as noted by Nunez experience as a stay at home dad (Bloom, 2007). Although the life role of a stay-at-home dad can be challenging the rewards are endless.
The stay-at-home dad life role is rewarding in the emotional life of the child and the parents. The values of the family are handed directly to the child without the concerns of a third party caregiver and the father has a greater impact as a male role model by being available to the child during the infant to preschool years. The healthy bonding between father and child are critical for the cognitive development of the child. The father is able to nurture the baby as she becomes aware of her surroundings. Gratification in this life role comes from the ability to be present for the child’s “firsts.” In learning this new life role men seek knowledge from accessing the internet, stay-at-home dad blog sites. After being a stay-at-home dad for the first years of a child’s life, most dads begin to reenter the workforce. Some dads make the transition to returning to school in order to have a better career than before.

Vini

Grocery Shopping with Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:16:00 +0000

Going shopping with the kids can be a big adventure. Remember the days when you could just run into the store, grab some groceries, go to the express lane and be done. Adding three kids to the picture means adding three times the time and patience. Finding little tricks to prevent meltdowns and chaos can help you stay sane in the store. Here are some tips on how to stay sane when taking the kids to the grocery store.

1. Don't go to the store when hungry especially when the kids are hungry.
2. Get the kids involved. Have them pick out the fruits, cereal or juice.
3. Give them the coupons and have them hunt down the items. Of course, keep your eye on them.
4. Go to the store when you are not short on time. I went to the grocery store on a saturday night. We had all eaten, rested, and the temperature was nice. Although the kids got a little crazy, I had more patience with them since I wasn't pressured to get to our next appointment.

Let me know if you have any other ideas on staying sane with the kids at the grocery store.

Vini Nunez

Dads Night Out

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:22:00 +0000

You've heard of Moms Night Out well what about a Dad's night out? The Stay at Home Dad group in Tucson had a Dad's night out this week. There were no kids to scold, no big messes to clean up and the conversation was all about men and their families. We had a great time sharing baby/kid stories, relationship stories, and survival stories. The best part was sharing it over some great Chicken Wings at Wingstop. Great wings, great conversation, cold beverages and great bunch of guys doing their best to serve their family. Keep up the great work guys.

Check out the Tucson Stay at Home Dads site via link at
http://agapelifecoaching.com/Dads.html

Vini Nunez
http://www.agapelifecoaching.com/

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Dog days of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:18:00 +0000

The kids are out of school so stay at home dad duty now triples. Imagine entertaining a one year old, 7 year old, and 8 year old in 110 degree days in the hot southwest. When you begin to know the lines to Sponge Bob and you know the characters of Cartoon Network then you know you have been inside too much. There are days that I just say, "get in the car" and when they ask, "where are we going," I don't even bother because they'll complain anyways.

I want to thank all the stay at home mom and dads for hanging in there this summer. Just as the kids counted the days until summer we too count the days until school begins.

A Dads Legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Have you ever thought about the legacy your father left you? What did he leave behind for you? Did he leave you money, car, house, wisdom, parenting skills, love or spirituality.

As men, we usually resort to the way our father did things. We think, "I'm still alive so he must have done somthing right." We use these skills in parenting and the way we handle people in our life. If our father treated others with respect then we may do the same but if he handled situations poorly then we begin to emulate these skills as well.

What is our legacy to our kids? Do you want to follow your dads methods or are you creating your own legacy? As we grow into our roles as man, father, grandfather, son, and brother we begin to notice our ways of handling situations. We become more aware of our character and personality.

Will your kids follow your ways? How will they treat others? How will they handle their spouse, children or testing situations?

What is your legacy?

If you want to work on creating your legacy as a man, father, son and brother contact me.

Vini Nunez
Agape Life Coaching LLC
ContactMe

Letters From Dad: How to Leave a Legacy of Faith, Hope, and Love for Your Family

Dr. James Dobson's Bringing Up Boys Parenting Videos

Disclaimer

Honest and Genuine Men

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:35:00 +0000

Being honest and genuine is important for a guy but It takes a lot for a man to do this. So, if you have a few weeks, months or years to bond with some good guys that have the same belief system as you then you are good. It's funny how women can get together at a party and share their most intimate feelings but get guys together and you might get a few words out of each of them, unless its over some cold beverages. If you pick your kids up from school notice how the women will gather together, hug each other and laugh while the guys stand against a wall with their arms crossed. It takes a lot for a guy to open up to other guys. So, if you are a honest and genuine man take time to have a real conversation with other guys. Find a men's faith group or talk with an old friend about some real issues in your life. You will feel so relieved.

Vini

http://www.agapelifecoaching.com/Dads.html

Grandma to the Rescue

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Mom and sister traveled a few hours to see my son complete his first communion. They called and asked if they could come on Friday instead of Sunday. "Of course", I said. They arrived on Friday and my house was still a mess. I felt like I was running in circles trying to care for three little kids and clean up the house. They jumped into service and started folding clothes, washing dishes, sweeping, etc. Although I usually don't let my guest do any work in my house, I was in need of this help. It was such a relief to finally get caught up on laundry and other chores. Thankyou Mom and big sister!

Coach Dungy Video on National Day of Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Guys, here is a great video from a great man, Coach Tony Dungy, inviting us to pray on the National Day of Prayer.

Stay at Home Dads at the Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:54:00 +0000

As some of you know, I am part of a Stay at Home Dad Group in Tucson. We had a great time gathering at the Zoo with our little ones. I am sure this was a rare sight for many at the zoo. Imagine a group of five dads pushing strollers. It was a great sight to see. Find the link on my site at http://agapelifecoaching.com/Dads.html

Stay at Home Dads on NBC Today Show

noreply@blogger.com (Vincent (Vini) Nunez) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:10:00 +0000

This morning Matt Lauer on NBC Today show talked with stay at home dads. As a Stay at Home/Work from Home dad I can relate to this story tremendously. You can see the full story on http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23903260/

Let me know what you think?