Welcome to the May/June 2010 edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival.

The Discovering Dad Blog Carnival is a monthly carnival that includes fun and informative posts about unique experiences, perspectives and challenges of being a dad. It also includes posts that talk about the impact of dads on the lives of children, spouses and family members, as well as some general parenting posts of interest.

Philip Dean presents Review: The Evolution of Dad posted at Random Acts Of Parenting, saying, “A few weeks ago I wrote about a new documentary on dads, The Evolution of Dad by Dana H. Glazer. Since then I have been able to watch the full documentary. Here is my review.”

Richard Hemby presents Top 25 Websites for Dads | Online Education Blog posted at Online Education Blog, saying, “Top 25 websites for dads!”

Kate Rothwell presents 100 Best Blogs for Parenting Advice posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Yosef presents It’s OK if you don’t love your kid – at first posted at Get Ready Dad, saying, “Discussing the emotions of a first time dad and love at first sight.”  Also, check out The Dog ate the Breast Pump.

BWL presents The Only 5 Things You Need For A Newborn posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “A look at some of the things you actually need for a new baby…”

Danny presents Where Does a Parent Go? posted at Where Does a Parent Go?.

Adam Allen presents All of the Fun Things You Can Do with Your Son posted at Fun with Son, saying, “It’s a list of almost 200 Fun Activities You Can Do with Your Son!”

Juliana Torres presents 100 Tiny Tips for Teaching Your Baby posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Kevin Poulis presents ParentsConnect.com – We’re Not Perfect, We’re Parents posted at SiteTally.com.

katie presents Blended Family – An Ex Perspective posted at Blending Ex’s… Stick that in your Cuisinart.

OurBlogs presents Summer Plans, Again posted at A Guide to Raising Great Kids.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form.

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Welcome to the April 2010 edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival.

The Discovering Dad Blog Carnival is a monthly carnival that includes fun and informative posts about unique experiences, perspectives and challenges of being a dad. It also includes posts that talk about the impact of dads on the lives of children, spouses and family members, as well as some general parenting posts of interest.

Andrew Hall presents Raising an Atheist or Disciplining in Purgatory posted at Laughing In Purgatory, saying, “My boy decided to create some trouble on the bus. This is my response.”

Walter J. Shumate presents Before You Become A Daddy: Choosing A Daycare posted at DaddyJourney, saying, “Choosing a daycare seemed like a frightening task at first. It’s an easy task, though, if you start with a few criteria in mind.”

Jason presents Delayed Gratification posted at Live Real, Now.

Mickey Fuertes presents Piggy Bank vs. Checking Account posted at Sippy Cups & Cufflinks, saying, “I am a 28 year-old devoted husband and father. I have a 3 year-old son who is a budding anarchist and a semi-nudist. This blog is the story of our adventures.”

Kevin Heath presents You Know You’re a Parent When… posted at More4kids.

Isabella Smith presents 10 Big Ways to Fight Obesity in Your School posted at Online Degree, saying, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children who are overweight has more than doubled in the last 20 years.”

Bryan Robinson presents Some Father Daughter Time | The Life and Times of Bryan Sr. and Family posted at The Life and Times of Bryan Sr. and Family.

Dan presents Tricking Your Children into Eating Healthy posted at My Dad Blog, saying, “Trick Your Kids into Eating Healthy Foods. With kids like mine, whatever it takes. Tips and Tricks that work for us.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form.

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Sunday, after pulling my lawnmower out and getting it ready for the task ahead, I noticed my wife and five-year-old son walk by on their way to get the garden hose. Her mission was to tend to the flowers in the yard, and his was to water everything in sight, whether it needed it or not.

As my wife pulled the hose around from the faucet to the walkway, the coils intertwined in front of me and formed a perfect sheepshank knot. She looked back at the tangle in frustration. Without a word, I calmly reached down and pulled free the one critical loop, releasing the knot and allowing her to continue pulling the hose around.

It occurred to me just then how simple that problem was for me to solve. I wasn’t intimidated by it at all: it was little more than a simple mathematical equation, one that can easily be solved. The hose had tangled itself up, therefore it should only take a little intervention on my part to get it untangled. It was just a matter of recognizing which loop to pull.

My five-year-old son faces similar problems every day, but for him they’re not so simple. His problem-solving skills are still very rudimentary, as would be expected of any five-year-old.

For example, nearly every morning while getting dressed he’ll pick out a shirt that’s turned inside-out, and he’ll become upset that he cannot figure out how to make it right. So he comes to me, tangled shirt in hand, and tells me “I can’t do it.”

I then calmly and patiently explain to him how he can look at the shirt and figure out where to hold it, and then to pull through one sleeve and then the other. He does what I ask, and is delighted when he’s able to get the shirt straightened out. I smile and tell him that pretty soon he’ll be able to do this all on his own.

I know that eventually he’ll catch on, and then this problem won’t be a problem any more, just a minor inconvenience that he is completely equipped to deal with.

In time, he’ll be able to clean his room on his own without being overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the task. He’ll be able to prioritize his efforts, and he’ll be able to work out a strategic course of action. He’ll then be able to use this skill to work through his homework, writing theme papers, doing math problems, writing book reports, presenting science projects. One skill builds upon another, and another, and so on.

As he goes through life, he’ll meet more complicated and perplexing problems, some that will be outside of my ability to guide. And for those he’ll need to rely on confidence of his own ability to solve problems, and his resiliency to bounce back when his efforts fail.

And while some of the problems he encounters will be complicated affairs, many of them will be simple “knots” that, if he remembers and acts upon the things he learns in his childhood, will be simple for him to “untie.”

It’s our job as parents to teach our kids to not be afraid of knots, in whatever situation they’re encountered, but to patiently and persistently work through them. This builds in them the experience to resolve the minor problems with relative ease, and the strength and self-confidence to face much tougher problems without buckling under the pressure.

How do you help your kids learn to untie “knots” in life? What are some of the “knots” you face as a parent? Please feel free to share your stories!

Tom Bowns is a Contributing Writer for Discovering Dad. His personal site is Being Michael’s Daddy. You can also follow Tom on Twitter @michaelsdaddy.

©2012 Discovering Dad. All Rights Reserved.

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Welcome to the March 2010 edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival.

The Discovering Dad Blog Carnival is a monthly carnival that includes fun and informative posts about unique experiences, perspectives and challenges of being a dad. It also includes posts that talk about the impact of dads on the lives of children, spouses and family members, as well as some general parenting posts of interest.

Chris presents I dedicate this post to my beloved Wife posted at Hey-Dads.

Kevin presents You Know You’re a Parent When… posted at More4kids.

Case Ernsting presents 3 Tips for Organized Family Togetherness posted at Home and Decor, saying, “Keeping the family together is the goal of any father. As family members pursue their passions, family togetherness often suffers. Bring your family together in the family living room with some careful organization tips.”

BWL presents Premarital Financial Counseling: Questions To Ask posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “These are great questions that your kids should ask their fiance before tying the knot…”

Isabella Smith presents 60 Free Science Games to Excite & & Inspire Your Kids posted at MRI Technician Schools, saying, “Parents and teachers alike can supplement a student’s knowledge of biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and other scientific disciplines with literally hundreds of free games available online through a multitude of sources.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form. Submission deadlines are the 28th of every month.

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Welcome to the February 2010 edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival.

The Discovering Dad Blog Carnival is a monthly carnival that includes fun and informative posts about unique experiences, perspectives and challenges of being a dad. It also includes posts that talk about the impact of dads on the lives of children, spouses and family members, as well as some general parenting posts of interest.

Darryl Lepik presents Maximum Living and the Urge to Fly… posted at For Dads Only.

J.R. Reed presents My Daughter, The Drama Queen and My Mom and Kotex posted at Sex and the Single Dad.

Kevin Heath presents You Know You’re a Parent When… posted at More4kids.

Baily Hayden presents 9 Blogs About Childrearing Worth Reading posted at Masters in Elementary Education, saying, “Heard about the little girl who told her friend: “I’m never having kids. I hear they take nine months to download.” Well, it may be a joke but the fact of the matter is that because of nuclear families young parents are not blessed with the company of grandmas to give them invaluable tips on child care and child rearing.”

Suzane Smith presents 40 Truly Amazing Facts About Babies posted at Online Nurse Practitioner Schools.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Discovering Dad Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form. Submission deadlines are the 28th of every month.

If you’d like to stay updated on new articles at Discovering Dad, please Subscribe to My Feed.

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