We recently had the opportunity to interview Bob Smiley who is a Christian, a Comedian, and a Father (not always in that order). He answers some questions for us and then we were able to interview him on our radio show as well.
Check out the podcast of part of his interview.
We know as dads that our kids leave an indelible mark on us. But what about when you let them REALLY leave a mark on you, that is PERMANENT? This is a great dad who has started a great tradition with his daughter that she couldn’t forget, even if she tried.
Author’s Note:
I met Tyler several years ago. I work with the Head Start in Greeley and we had tried to do something together there in Weld County a couple of times. We have also attended the same conference a couple of times. When I found out about his tattoos I was inspired and jealous. My kids are teenage boys with a wicked sense of humor so I will not give them the same chance. Thanks Tyler for sharing your story with us.
When most people think about parent-child reading activities, they likely picture a mother quietly reading to their children. Very few people would envision a reading event for just fathers and children. Even fewer would envision a reading event where these same fathers and children are acting like donkeys, elephants, and gorillas. That is exactly what happens, however, at a Dad and Kid Reading Night sponsored by Strong Fathers-Strong Families.
Dad and Kid Reading Night encourages and teaches fathers to read to their children. The program’s effectiveness is derived from using the inherent strengths of fathers. Instead of teaching men to read in a softer, more feminine way, these events model a more lively, no-holds-barred approach to reading and interacting with their children. In this activity men and children are settled into the floor together and a facilitator reads to them in a typically masculine way with lots of excitement, crazy voices, and noises. The books are carefully chosen both to reflect the father-child dynamic and to facilitate lively activity between the child and the father. To make this event effective, a Dad and Kid Reading Night must be interactive, relational, and focused on child outcomes.
A Different Planet
In the early Nineties, John Gray wrote a book called Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. I am sure that not everyone would agree with John Gray’s book, but most of us feel like men and women are from different planets. The differences that seem to attract us to the opposite sex are also the things that also drive us crazy. As we as a culture have worked for equality it seems that we have forgotten to also celebrate the differences between us. As well, we have forgotten to see those differences as strengths.
In the past several years there has been a tremendous amount of research about the actual physiological and psychological differences among males and females. Even though the research is there to back it up, some folks cannot believe that men and women are so different. The importance of understanding these differences is not only important in order for all of us to live together but it is also important for PTA leaders in order to improve how they work with both male and female parents.
I recently had the opportunity to write a blog post for the great folks at KaBoom.
Go to http:SF-SF.me/KaBoom to read and COMMENT!
We would love to know what you think about the article.
Part 5: Why Fathers Count in the Education of Their Children
Although a discussion of fatherly traits that are required for the positive development of our children is necessary, it is also critical to see why those traits make a difference in the education of our children. The father’s own masculinity and engagement with his child, high or low expectations of his child, and ability to teach and challenge through play are three important traits in helping children become educated learners. When fathers become involved in the daily lives and education of their child, they can make a huge difference in the outcomes for that child. Long observation, anecdotal information, and a strong and growing body of research evidence over a period of almost 50 years confirm the value of fathers’ involvement in the education of their children. Researchers have done a tremendous amount of work to show us how fathers continue to count in the education of their children. To illustrate, I have chosen to highlight a few key research findings regarding the influence of father involvement on school readiness, academic performance in the classroom, and social behavior. Read the rest of this entry »
Part 4: Fathers as Visionaries for Their Children
Fathers enter a child’s life from outside the sphere of the mother. Fathers thus take on the role of one who prepares a child for life outside that same sphere. A father tends to look at a child not only as a small, helpless human being but also as one who will not always be helpless and small. Fathers have expectations for their newborn babies as well as tangible hopes and dreams for the child and adult they will become. Even as a father may dream of his child becoming a sports star or astronaut, he also envisions the type of toddler he wants this newborn to become. For example, he may envision his child as a bright-eyed baby, an inquisitive toddler, an early reader, a high school honor student, or a successful, educated adult. Fathers who become active and engaged in the life of their young child usually do so because of a vision they have developed for their child. This vision may change as time passes, but by simply having a vision the father begins to develop in his role as the one most likely to help that child flesh out that vision. Read the rest of this entry »
Part 3: The Father’s Role in Education
As fathers take on a collaborative role with the school in teaching children, a father’s role can be defined by certain qualities and behaviors associated with being a man and a father. Three key components of a father’s role in the growth and learning of his children include the actual quality of being a man and a parent, his expectations regarding the future path for his children, and the way in which he teaches and engages his children through play and interaction. These elements help to define a father’s role as a teacher of his children and a strong supporter of their formal and informal education.
Fathers, Masculinity, and Learning in the Outside World
Fathers exert a significant influence on children simply by virtue of their masculinity and the interactions they engage in that frame a child’s encounters with the larger world. Fathers and mothers come to their experience with a child some- what differently, in the beginning, simply by virtue of their gender.
From the time a child is conceived, it begins its life in the body of the mother (stop me if you have heard this before) and even from the moment of conception prepares to move away from the mother for the rest of his or her life. The father, who had a role in the conception of the child, primarily has only to wait and furnish support while the child is formed inside the mother. At the birth of the child, the mother typically has a very strong bond and a profound basis for a relation- ship with this child: it is of her and from her. Mother and child have spent a significant amount of time physically together that has contributed to this tremendous personal bond. It is arguable as well that the mother acts as she does and bonds as a parent because she is feminine and has gone through the incredible physical, chemical, emotional, and perhaps spiritual change of childbirth. The father has a more limited basis for his relationship with the child to begin with, as he has been waiting on the outside of the two bodies that were joined together. Read the rest of this entry »
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics, there are 14,559 public school districts representing more than 94,000 school campuses in our country. Those public schools represent approximately 48 million students enrolled in elementary and secondary cam- puses. Those 48 million students are from 25.8 million married-couple families, eight million single-mother families, and 1.9 million single-father families.1 Even though they may approach it differently, these schools and families are both in the business of helping the same 48 million children.
Fathers and schools play incredibly similar roles in the lives of children. Both care for children and are interested in their becoming independent and successful in the adult world. Fathers and schools both spend an incredible amount of time working to prepare children to possess the skills necessary to be successful. When they do their best work, both fathers and schools are involved in the same endeavor from different angles but working for the same outcomes. Read the rest of this entry »
The scene is very familiar. Most of us have been in a public school cafeteria with white walls, tile floors, and drab, laminate-covered tables. These cafeterias usually have windows, are flooded with fluorescent lights, and, as if by federal law, have exposed stainless steel somewhere close to the kitchen. On one particular morning, one of these familiar cafeterias held more than 100 fathers and their children. There were book-laden backpacks everywhere, and most of those in attendance were in some stage of donut, juice, or coffee consumption. Read the rest of this entry »
