Making Single Parenting Just a Little Less Stressful #DadsWay

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This post is sponsored by Procter and Gamble.

Is there any way to not feel overwhelmed by the demands of parenthood? It’s tough enough with two of us. I can only imagine what it would be like to have to do it alone.

My meager experience in that realm has come on those rare occasions when my wife has flown out of town for work. For me, the best way to handle the duties we usually split in two is to wake up a half-hour earlier and get myself completely ready for work before I start to get the boys ready for school. And I’m fortunate that I work for a company that allows more work-time flexibility than most.

And by the time she comes home? I’m a bit of a basket case. The boys are great, sure. But the energy it takes to make sure that happens just about wipes me out after two or three days.

Listen, no one sits in the bleachers to watch single parents do their thing. No one charges admission to watch a single mom make the bed or a single dad do the laundry. They do it because it must be done, and they do it out of the public glare. They do it until they are exhausted, and then they keep on doing it because no one else is going to do it for them.

I admire single parents so much. I marvel at their perseverence.

Anything that can make that job easier is most welcome, I’m sure. Here’s a video from Tide Pods that demonstrates that concept in action for a single dad who would rather spend time with his kids than wrestle with the laundry all night:

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Tide and Downy continue to celebrate Dad’s Way of parenting with a Twitter party Thursday night (July 20) at 8 p.m. EDT. Come and use the hashtag #DadsWay on your tweets, and Tide and Downy will done $1 per tweet to the National Fatherhood Initiative, an organization that promotes engaged fatherhood. I’ll be there, along with fellow writers @whithonea, @dadarocks and @mochadad. There will be trivia and prizes, including an iPad mini. We look forward to your company as we celebrate dad’s way.

A Father’s Day Adventure at Brooker Creek Preserve

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This post is sponsored by Tide and Downy, who made it possible for me and my sons and a group of our friends to create a great Father’s Day weekend memory. All opinions are the author’s.

Tide and Downy

Brooker Creek Preserve, Pinellas County, Florida.

Nature conspired against us Saturday morning – scattered rain showers, suffocating humidity, searing UV rays, buzzing mosquitos and deer flies. Really, you’d think we could take the hint. Nature just wanted to be left alone.

Sorry, Nature. We couldn’t stay away. A little sunscreen, a little insect repellent: science, victorious! Temporarily, of course. Nature always wins. Always. That’s why we’re drawn to it. Everybody loves a winner.

Brooker Creek Preserve is an 8,000-acre expanse of wilderness left intact among the suburban sprawl of northern Pinellas County on Central Florida’s West Coast. It is a cross section of everything beautiful about wild Florida: freshwater marshes, cypress domes, pine flatwoods and sandhills. It is home to white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern diamondback rattlers, river otters and hundreds of other species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

Tide and Downy

The pine flatwoods at Brooker Creek Preserve.

It was all there to savor, Nature raw and spoiled only by good intentions. And savor it we did.

Part of my compensation as a Dad’s Way ambassador for Tide and Downy was the opportunity to hold an event for Tampa Bay area dads and their kids, an event that would celebrate the unique way we dads do what we do. After consulting my sons and my own boyhood memories for ideas, I invited a group of my dad friends and their kids for a hot, humid, buggy, sandy, muddy and unbelievably rad guided hike and a picnic at Brooker Creek Preserve.

As you might imagine, it gets a bit steamy in the Florida wilderness in June. It’s Nature’s sauna. Sweat happens. And on a hike with kids through swamps and along sandy trails, dirt happens. It’s all good, though. Dad’s way means you make a mess, you clean it up. Messes certainly were made, and so were memories. Here’s a video of our adventure, and what had to be done afterward to get ready for the next one:

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Everyone has a story about how his or her dad is truly unique. If you would like to help Tide and Downy celebrate dad’s way this month, tell that story about dad on Twitter using the hashtag #DadsWay. Was there a time when your dad was strong, like Tide on stains? Or gentle, like Downy? What were your dad’s “Tide” moments and/or “Downy” moments? What Father’s Day memories are you making this weekend?

For every tweet sent using #DadsWay until June 23, Tide and Downy will donate $1 to the National Fatherhood Initiative. The celebration continues Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT with a Dad’s Way Twitter party (check back here or keep an eye on @DadScribe for details).

Dads and Kids, Making Memories #DadsWay

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This post is sponsored by Tide and Downy, who have made it possible for me to plan a very cool Father’s Day event Saturday for my sons and a few of our friends in the Tampa Bay area.

Tide and Downy

After a nature walk and picnic in the hot Florida sun Saturday morning, it’ll be time to bring up these heavy hitters to clean things up and get ready for the next adventure.

As a #DadsWay ambassador, it is my privilege this Father’s Day weekend to be able to help Tide and Downy celebrate the unique way each dad does things. I like the analogy they’ve shared, the idea that dads can be as strong as Tide, as gentle as Downy and sometimes can show both of those sides simultaneously.

Let me pause here to provide full disclosure: Long before Tide and Downy ever offered me the chance to participate in this campaign, my family used Tide detergent. And during the course of writing these sponsored posts, I learned that when my father was a boy, his mom used Tide, too. So, you might say it’s a family tradition.

Only, these days, it’s not just the mom who does the laundry. Modern Day Dads share in the housework far more than their dads did 30 or 40 years ago. So, once we’re done with our incredible Father’s Day weekend nature walk and picnic at Brooker Creek Preserve on Saturday, you can bet that many of the participating dads — including me — will be heading home to wash a load. It’s just dad’s way of doing things these days. You make a mess, you clean it up.

Tide and Downy

This is Brooker Creek itself. There’s an alligator hidden in that algae bloom. How could any kid (or dad) resist? It’s going to get messy out there, though. (Good!)

And I’m pretty sure our kids are going to be a mess by the time we’re done with Saturday’s big event. You see, we live in Central Florida. It gets hot here in June, even in the morning. We’re going to walk through the woods along dirt trails for a couple of hours, then play games and eat picnic food. My kids will run and rip. They’ll sweat, they’ll fall down, and they’ll get as dirty as 7- and 5-year-old boys tend to get under those circumstances.

No problem. We’ve got Tide and Downy. When we’re all through for the day, our clothes — and our kids — will be ready for the next adventure.

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One thing I like about working with Tide and Downy on this program is the opportunity to share well-done videos and ads depicting dads in authentic situations with their kids. It’s an important issue for some of us. Earlier this week, I shared my thoughts on the matter and showed how it should be done with Tide’s the Princess Dress spot. Below is another offering from Tide, and it might be just the thing to get you in the mood for a great Father’s Day weekend! (Seriously. Watch this. It’s very well done.)

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Everyone has a story that describes how his or her dad is truly unique. If you would like to help Tide and Downy celebrate dad’s way this month, go tell a story about your dad on Twitter using the hashtag #DadsWay. For every tweet sent out using #DadsWay, Tide and Downy will donate $1 to the National Fatherhood Initiative.

I would also personally like to thank Tide and Downy for making it possible for DadScribe to make a donation of $100 to Brooker Creek Preserve, which is run by incredibly dedicated and helpful volunteers who love nature as much as we do (probably even more).

Tide and Downy

What adventure lies around the bend for us this weekend? We can’t wait to find out!

What Does it Mean to be a Modern Day Dad?

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This post is sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

While P&G has long been known as the Proud Sponsor of Moms, they also celebrate everything Modern Day Dads do for their families.

What does it mean to be a Modern Day Dad?

To me, it means not just wanting to be more involved in the upbringing of our kids, but needing to be there for them. It is a physical compulsion for me. An obsession, even. Every day at work, I feel the absence of my sons in my gut. I need to be part of every aspect of their upbringing. I need to see it happen. I need to be there.

I don’t know if that was the case for fathers 40 years ago, or even 30 years ago. I mean, my dad spent a year-plus in Vietnam when my brother and I were tiny. I just … I can’t fathom that. But I suspect a great many of my Modern Day Dad peers think like I do when it comes to their kids. I hope so, anyway.

Along these lines, two statistics from a recent Procter & Gamble survey of 2,000 parents (1,000 mothers and 1,000 fathers; see infographic below) stood out to me.

One was the fact that 65 percent of dads surveyed said they have a different parenting style from their fathers. And 54 percent of dads surveyed said that work-life balance issues make being a Modern Day Dad more difficult. Those two statistics go hand-in-hand, I believe. I think now, more than ever, dads crave the meaningful interaction with kids that has traditionally been the purview of moms.

That’s what this Modern Day Dad is all about, though. The partnership between me and my wife feels completely natural. We each do what we need to do to nurture our elementary school-aged sons. The duties overlap. There are no specified “Mom” duties or “Dad” duties.

I’m not trying to win any medals here. I’m just doing what feels right. I think that’s what it means to be a Modern Day Dad. What do you believe it means? Let us know on Twitter with the hashtag #DadsWay, and the National Fatherhood Initiative will receive a $1 donation from Tide and Downy. Meanwhile, what statistics in this survey stand out to you?

Infographic_Fathers Day_6.11.13

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Do you know a Modern Day Dad who is so rad that his accomplishment(s) deserve to be digitally posterized? You know, like this poster (which I wish my sons were old enough to have made for me):

Procter and Gamble

Yeah. That’s me. Happy Father’s Day!

As mentioned above, Procter & Gamble’s Thank You, Mom campaign is celebrating dads and everything they do for their families. But that celebration goes beyond just saying, “Hey, nice job, Dad.” P&G wants to help you recognize your dad’s unique rad-ness by making a poster based on how you fill in the blank in the statement, “My dad is the #WorldsGreatest __________!”

To be considered for digital posterization, simply go to Procter & Gamble’s Facebook page and/or Twitter page and share your answer to what your dad is the “World’s Greatest” at. While you’re at it, check out all the digital posters they’ve made so far at the Thank You, Mom Pinterest page. P&G will be selecting submissions and turning them into digital posters you can share with your dad and the rest of your social network.

Good luck, and please let DadScribe know in the comments below or on Twitter (@DadScribe)if your statement of dad-ulation is chosen for posterization. We’ll share them all in a future post.

Dad’s Way of Parenting Deserves Authentic Depiction, Not Derision

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This post is sponsored by Procter & Gamble, parent company of Tide and Downy, who have compensated the author to explore the concept of dad’s way of parenting during the week leading up to Father’s Day. Today, I take a look at why it’s important for dad’s way to be portrayed authentically on TV and in movies. All opinions and inaccuracies are mine.

Procter & Gamble

This dad’s way means being there, and making sure my sons know that the sometimes-inauthentic portrayals of fathers they see on TV and in movies are just not acceptable.

I have never burned a batch of cookies. And even though I’m a seasoned traveler and fiercely proud of my innate sense of direction, I would without hesitation ask a local resident the quickest route to my destination on the off chance that I ever got lost (and if the battery life ran out on my iPhone).

My sons are long since potty trained, but by the time they got out of diapers for good, I could make the change with one hand. In the dark. On the backseat of a two-door Civic. Without making an even bigger mess. Yeah. That actually happened.

When my wife gave birth, I was there. Not just in the room, either. I helped with the delivery, and not merely for moral support. I saw both of our sons born, and I held them within seconds of the cutting of the umbilical cord, and I beamed like a thousand stars and cried tears of joy both times. In short – I was not about to be shunted to the periphery during the two biggest moments of our lives.

This is not bragging about my refusal to be a cliché. It is, rather, to provide context when I say this: I really don’t like it when I see fathers portrayed as cookie-burning, no-directions-asking, too-squeamish-to-be-diaper-changing, non-assertive-sideline-sitting buffoons and idiots on TV shows or ads. It just doesn’t jibe with my experience.

Even though I can’t say I’m all that offended when I spot another tired, lazy caricature of the Doofus Dad depicted on a mass media stage, and even though parents confront more pressing issues today, I will admit to being a bit more than annoyed when I see a dad depicted inauthentically simply for effect.

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The Force For Fun: the Voice of Vader

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Pringles

This is the fifth The Force For Fun video for DadScribe, “Don’t Hold Your Breath.” It was made by Matt Sklar and Colin Duffy, who go by the collective name, “Norman Invasion.” This one tells a story that any office dwelling drone who longs for fame and adulation can identify with. One man’s hidden talent carries him to a career made for the tabloids, a career as incredibly meteoric as any former Disney child star’s. Only, when this guy’s career flames out, there’s a twist from the Dark Side.

Here is the video:

This is one of seven finalists in a competition put on by Tongal, Pringles and Star Wars. The winning filmmaker receives $25,000 and a chance to be part of an actual Star Wars themed Pringles commercial. In truth, all seven are worthy of being part of a Star Wars/Pringles campaign. In fact, anyone who is a hard-core Star Wars fan (not to mention Pringles fan) will enjoy the videos, and would certainly enjoy going in-depth with the filmmakers during this Google+ hangout with all of them.

And if you’re in the mood to win some Star Wars-themed gear and delicious Pringles, click this link to the DadScribe giveaway: an incredible, not-spooky-looking-at-all Jawa doll with light-up eyes! Only residents of the United States are eligible for the giveaway (sorry, Canada! I’ll make it up to you … somehow!).

The Force For Fun

Yes, the eyes of this Jawa light up. How awesome is that?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Pringles, which partnered with Star Wars for Tongal’s The Force For Fun contest. DadScribe was chosen as a The Force For Fun influencer and was compensated to provide a platform for The Force for Fun contest videos, as well as the giveaways. The giveaway is available for residents of the U.S. only. Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Florida Neighbor

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We got home this morning from a family grocery shopping excursion and saw this little fellow sunning himself across the street. Life in Florida!