Steve’s instincts were incredible. It’s nice to know that millions of people have watched this precious moment between a dad and his daughter. But remember that moment would have been JUST as important to his 3 year old daughter, Emily, if NO ONE else had witnessed it.

Love your kids.

(If the video doesn’t work for you it can be found here: Great catch by a great dad)

This morning in the Washington Post there is an article, ‘Getting it Right: Is Online Learning REALLY Better?‘, in which Valerie Strauss deciphers a new Education Department study for us. Although the report indicates there may very well be benefits to online learning over face-to-face, the study wasn’t conclusive and shouldn’t lead one to draw any significant conclusions.

What is apparent to me is that technology is rapidly improving the ability to educate remotely reducing the “need” for face-to-face interaction. Live video streaming, real time video chat, “tools” like Second Life, make the prospect of virtual classrooms a reality today, not years from now.

What this is going to mean for education at every level is hard to wrap one’s mind around, but I agree with Seth that education is going to become very inexpensive changing the face of private schools and higher learning. The possibilities are exciting and parents should embrace and even drive these changes as our current education system is in dire need of change.

The Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has four top priorities including; fatherhood, interreligious dialogue and cooperation, the role of nonprofits in the economic recovery, and working to reduce the number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies.

As for the fatherhood priority the issue of absent fathers is a particularly big one in African-American families, where over 60% live in single-parent homes. With the statistics showing that children who grow up without a father are far more likely to drop out of school, commit crimes, live in poverty and end up in prison clearly anything the government can do to help will be welcomed.

But the fatherhood initiative is not just targeting African-American families. “This is about kids who are growing up without responsible role models in their families, and that is for all American families regardless of their background,” DuBois says.

And he encourages all Americans to get involved by letting his office know what programs in local communities are working to strengthen families.

“At the end of the day, solutions are not going to come out of Washington,” DuBois says. “They’re going to come out of individuals and families and communities across the country who are stepping up to the plate and meeting our challenges, including the challenge of father absence.”

We wish Mr. Joshua DuBois the very best in his new important role.

Links:

White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that paternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy might be a risk factor for excessive infant crying. This finding could be related to genetic transmission, interaction of a father with lasting depressive symptoms with the infant, or related indirectly through contextual stressors such as marital, familial, or economic distress.

My conclusion: Unless you want to be really depressed dad, be positive and upbeat during your wife’s pregnancy!

Link to report: Pediatrics

SOURCES: Mijke P. van den Berg, M.D., Ph.D., Departments of Psychiatry/Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Jon Shaw, M.D., professor and director, child and adolescent psychiatry, University of Miami Miller of School of Medicine, Miami; July 2009 Pediatrics

Here are the top 10 search terms among kids for the period from February through July:

1. YouTube
2. Google
3. Facebook
4. Sex
5. MySpace
6. Porn
7. Yahoo
8. Michael Jackson
9. Fred
10. eBay

Source: CNET

So there you have the bad news…. Now the good:

Symantec’s OnlineFamily.Norton service is FREE, at least through the end of 2009. You can learn more about the service and download your copy here: OnlineFamily

A Dad Book: DadLabs: Pregnancy and Year One

Don’t be misled by the professionals on the cover and the tame title of this book. It is not your dad’s book! These dads have gone all out to ensure that their Mother-In-Laws (why do we capitalize those words?) will leave them alone for good with this book.

Pregnancy and raising a newborns is as important a subject matter that one can think of. Yet these guys-turned-dads have managed to turn these life altering experiences into a comical, yet entertaining, read.

Starting with the title of the Prologue, “The Sofa at the Center of the Universe”, one recognizes that this book is very Dad2.0.

If you’re guy considering having a sexual relationship with a woman someday or a great-great grand daddy, you will enjoy this book and probably learn a lot as well.

We give the book at rating of 6-stars. (One for each of those lil’ cutie pies being manipulated into posing for the photo for the book cover.)

Book Reviews:

Steven Bush, author of Dad Blogs, had this to say,

“The book addresses not only practical topics but also emotional issues, especially when it comes to a dad’s relationship with his wife. It guides dads not only through the mechanics of being an expectant or new father, but also through the social requirements as well.”

Belinda Acosta, writer for The Austin Chronicle
Description: Father may not know best, but DadLabs has made it its mission to make sure knows a little bit better

“…They incorporated in 2004 but truly dove in headfirst in 2007, when they left their teaching jobs to take on the DadLabs mission full time, which is to talk candidly about what it’s like to be a parent from the contemporary dad’s perspective. In short, the dads of DadLabs are proud to declare that “washing bottles won’t make your balls fall off,” as is written in the prologue of their newly released book, DadLabs Guide to Fatherhood: Pregnancy and Year One”

You can order the book from our Bookstore for less than a 12-pack of beer. Aren’t your children worth it? Dadz Bookstore

My wife Kathy and I sat back with adult bevvies in hand (recommended) and pressed the play button.

As long time owners of various breeds of kiddie vans we immediately bonded with the band members as they sang about experiences resembling ours. We had a hard time fitting our kids bedtime routines into our schedule that night as we couldn’t wait to hear the next song seemingly written about us.

These dads don’t sing “pink” songs with blue birds tweeting in the background. Their songs are in black, gray, and white. They sing it like it is (it being parenthood). Most parents should be able to relate to these songs and while they may not win American Idol they are the neighbors we wish we had. We recommend their music for yourselves and they would make for great gifts for just about any occasion.

Their official Bio:

The POP Stars are a band of Fathers who perform original songs about the joys, trials and tribulations of parenthood. Their upbeat music gets little ones dancing and parents laughing, with topics ranging from sleep deprivation and spilt milk to minivans, potty training and unwanted advice from the in-laws. The Pop Stars have played all around New England in coffeehouses, bookstores, festivals, benefits and have traveled as far as New York City to be one of the few dad bands to play the Mamapalooza Festival for the past two years. They have performed at Boston’s George’s island Father’s day events, Foxboro’s Orpheum theater and have had feature articles in the Boston Globe and Bay State Parent Magazine. They have also been seen on the Hallmark Channel and WCVB’s Chronicle.

You can find the POP Stars online at:

The POP Stars on MySpace

The POP Stars on Facebook

ReverbNation.com/thepopstars

A POP Stars YouTube video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

_______________________________________________________________

An alarming 44 percent of Internet users said they were “sometimes” or “often” ignored because another member of the household spends too much time online. Barely behind the 48 percent that said they were ignored because others spend too much time watching TV.

While these survey results aren’t surprising, they are a bit unsettling. For years our kids had to compete with our work, our friends, our TV time, and now they have to compete with the never-ending World Wide Web and all that it offers. How do you react when your wife or child approaches you while you’re online? Are those hours spent on social networks really more important than spending time playing or reading with your child?

As a bonafide internet junky I’m as guilty as anyone else of letting my online “life” interfere with real life and what’s truly important.

For more information about the study and some other perspectives visit:

Center for the Digital Future – (only highlights of the report)
Christian Post
Internet Use Cuts Into Family Time

For details visit: Fathers’ Day Contest on momz.com.