New York Dad – DadRevolution

Less is more and not following one’s own advice.

This is certainly not news for parents who have older kids, but with kids less is more. I say this premising that I do not follow my own advice. Add that to the long list of parenthood’s hypocrisies. If I see a cool toy car or stickers at the checkout register I just cannot help myself and will get it for my son (and, no doubt, for my inner child). Sure, he loves getting an unexpected present, but most of the tim Read More...

I’m not your friend!

My son has recently started alternating calling me “Daddy” and using my first name. Uh, excuse me?! I’m not your friend. I’m your father! Maybe when you are in your thirties we can share a beer while grilling and laugh about some of the crazy stunts you pulled on me and your mother, but I still expect you to call me “Dad” or “Pops” or something along the lines of R Read More...

That’s a pretty big boo-boo…

The concept of pain is never easy to explain to a kid. My son understands the basic concept of the so-called “boo-boo”. We also try to teach him that by hitting or kicking or biting or throwing things he can cause others and most often his parents a great deal of boo-boo. He has also, unfortunately, made the connection between certain boo-boos and mommy and daddy pulling out some ice from the freezer so now he Read More...

Snow in the City

The advent of snow, especially to the uninitiated child, is a treat for parents. It is also a curse. Let me explain what I mean. This is the first year that our son can truly enjoy snow and snow related activities. It also happens to be the first time in 80 years that New York City has seen this much snowfall. The combination means that there has been snow pretty much every week since mid-December and it looks like Read More...

Nearing Extinction: Restaurants that understand that family dining means bringing the kids.

Sitting down at the dining room table as a family is hard enough with our fidgety son (as discussed at length following SeattleDad’s post last week), a restaurant is a whole other ball of yarn. Every parent goes through the phase in which restaurants are just off limits. This holds especially true when multiple toddlers are involved. Boys certainly seem to make the experience that much less agreeable, but I have Read More...

New Year. Same Old Parents.

The New Year has started much like the old. My son still wakes up early – way too early. He still wants – nay, needs – his milk. It must be the perfect temperature in that green sippy cup or he sends it back. I am the lucky one who prepares this gourmet morning aperitif. It must be Daddy and no one else. My wife, of course, doesn’t argue this point. The cars must be lined up with Lightning McQueen first Read More...

When Kids Are Kids And Parents Wish It Could Be Like That Forever

For those of you with older children I am sure what I am about to describe is nothing new. My two and a half year old has gotten his first full “year” of holidays and seasonal events starting with Halloween and now ending with Christmas. I feel that this may be the first and last year in which he is taken up by the excitement and the novelty as opposed to the gifts and the superficiality that is more obvious to Read More...

Hello?! Is anybody there?!

I watched my 2-year-old son the other day as he managed to activate Skype on my laptop and call the first contact available which was luckily my wife who was in the other room. One the one hand I was pleasantly impressed at his budding hacker skills on the other I wondered if he was already overexposed to the computer and (whispering) “technology.” The debate seems never ending these days as more and more gadge Read More...

Don’t be shy. Just spit it out!

I have said my piece on why I like Thanksgiving over at New York Dad’s Blog a few days ago. Today I wanted to talk more about the actual ritual that accompanies the holiday. My and my wife’s family both live in Italy and so were are “alone” here in New York. Each Thanksgiving, though, we are invited by my best friend’s family to their house so that we are “in the family.” The hospitality is always w Read More...

The greatest casualty is being forgotten.

Today is my birthday. I don’t want you to sing Happy Birthday. I want to ask you to do me a favor and learn about the Wounded Warrior Project. I know this makes it two cause related posts in a row for me here at Dad Revolution, but this Thursday is Veteran’s Day. I don’t care if you are pacifist, an orthodox, a hippie, a libertarian, an aetheist, a hawk, an anarchist or a card carrying NRA member. This is not Read More...

Think Pink

I am on the road for work (or on vacation as my wife would say) and I needed my coffee fix so I ducked into a Caribou Coffee (no I did not get a free latte for mentioning them). My mind was elsewhere as I distractedly ordered coffee and settled down at a corner table to hop on the free wifi so I did not notice how pink my coffee cup was until I took a sip. In the back of my mind I knew this was significant and as I Read More...

What’s the secret to single parenthood?

The cursor keeps blinking at me. The rest of this clichéd image includes a half eaten bag of Snyder’s pretzels – the stick kind (gotta love market research). I would get the original shape if deli’s still had them, but I guess I’ll just have to wait for retro pretzel shapes to become fashionable again. On the floor next to me – safe and sound on a coaster – is a room temperature Boylan Seltzer (lemon f Read More...

My boring life as a dad

Dear Diary, Today was more of the same old things. I fear that boredom has started to spread its tentacles across my subconscious making it difficult to focus on anything worthy of causing synapses to fire. The mornings are the worst. Dull to the point of seeking ways to physically stimulate my brain using blunt force trauma. I remember the days when each morning brought new challenges and invigorating scenarios. M Read More...

I’m leaving on a jet plane…

I will be back in NYC by the time this is read. We are preparing our bags on a breezy and sunny morning about a hundred kilometers south of Rome. My inspiration this morning is the slightly choppy sea right in front of my in-laws’ house. They have already kidnapped my son to spend every minute of the last day we are here in Italy with him. It is always a melancholy dawn – the day before our departure. I Read More...

A big city kid in the middle of nowhere…

I grew up a big city kid. I loved it because you had access to everyone and everything. Multi-lingual and multi-cultural. There was always something different to try and to choose from each and everyday. Even Rome where I spent most of my time away from New York is a big city and although not as cosmopolitan it retains a great deal of the big city vibe. I am happy my son is growing up in a big city despite the sacr Read More...

Yoda and Heartburn

I cannot for the life of me remember the last time I felt in complete control of my life. Actually, it has been a little over two years that I fall asleep with the uneasy sensation that I have forgotten to do something very important each and every night. Given that parenting years feel much longer than dog years that’s quite a bit of worrying. Maybe after years of practice I will have perfected some sort of brea Read More...

“What the… Get your… I’ll put a… Get out of my face!”

When you’re a father you censor yourself. You get just as angry with a child but you don’t want to say, “What the filth and foul and I’ll filth and foul, filth and foul and, yeah, ya filth and foul face, and I’ll filth and foul, foul, filth!” You don’t want to say that to a child so you censor yourself and you sound like an idiot: “What the… Get your… I Read More...

Sunday In The Park

Sunday in the park is the only place one can really survive in Manhattan when the sun starts to literally melt the asphalt. We pack the stroller with plenty of water and toys and head out to the Great Lawn in the heart of Central Park. I am very grateful that plans to turn this vital patch of green into more city blocks was scuttled in the mid-1800s. As a parent, I realize how important this resource is for survivi Read More...

Plan? What Plan?!

As summer officially gets underway so do plans for a family vacation. Please keep in mind that our vacation falls into the category of “bring your child on tour so everyone can see him”. This entails, flying to Italy (yes, I know, boo-freakin’-hoo) and cramming ourselves into a car the size of a stamp and chauffeuring our son around for two weeks to meet every single relative of mine and my wife. This include Read More...