Tag: internet

The Importance of Being Vulnerable Online

The evening plodded along, minutes gradually blending together to make up the last few hours of a long day. I collapsed onto the couch after running the dishwasher and folding the now-clean laundry. I began scrolling through social media, ignoring the hour and the fact that my time would be better spent showering and going to sleep.

My eyes began glazing over slightly, skimming words and scanning faces as fatigue continued its offensive on my body. My vision sharpened into focus when certain names flashed across the screen and I consumed a few sentences of the posts before moving on.

I stopped swiping at a post from a dad I had met at Dad 2.0 and whose work I’d admired for some time.

“Warning,” it began. “This is verbose and heavy, but it’s time to unload some thoughts.”

I sat up straighter and tapped “Continue Reading.” Continue reading “The Importance of Being Vulnerable Online”

Keeping Our Kids Safe Online With Bark

I recently became an ambassador for Bark, an app that helps parents monitor their children’s online activity. You can find my discount code here and at the bottom of the post. Still, as always, all opinions here are my own.

I began working with Kayla1 and her family when she was fourteen years old.

She was a lovely young woman. She had a sharp sense of humor, knew how to take constructive criticism (from me, at least) and was self-aware enough to offer her own insights about the sources of her depressive symptoms. She was open about her relationships, both social and romantic, and seemed to genuinely enjoy asking my opinions about the choices she faced on a daily basis. She didn’t always take my advice – what teenager would? – but she always listened. Continue reading “Keeping Our Kids Safe Online With Bark”

Politics Shmolitics

I don’t want to write about politics.

This blog is supposed to be about parenting (yes, among other things) and I have a small enough amount of readers as it is without publishing my political views on the internet. If the idea is to try to expand my reach, taking a political stand runs the risk of alienating some people. Of course, I also realize that, although I might not spell out my views explicitly, it’s probably not that hard to figure them out, especially if you consider my full-time occupation or follow me on social media.1 But I’ll let you do that homework on your own, if you’re so inclined.

In the meantime, I’m not going to write about politics.  Continue reading “Politics Shmolitics”

Losing Online Friends

It’s weird thinking of myself as an online personality.

I’ve been writing this blog for about two and a half years now, so you’d think I’d be a little more used to it by now. I write these posts about my family, my sports allegiances, my beliefs about parenting, my views of the world around me and, the truth is, nothing much happens afterwards. I get the chance to process my feelings and let people in on the “secret” of what thoughts are swirling around in my head and that’s usually the end of it.  Continue reading “Losing Online Friends”

The Toys Are Alive!

As anyone who has cared for a toddler will tell you, it’s hard to get young kids to stay in one place for an extended period of time. They have what my brother calls “Ooh Shiny Syndrome,” which means they get distracted by everything and they want to investigate every distraction. That’s why, when we’re able to sit and eat together, we try to get rid of all of the “shiny objects.” The television stays off, there are no devices at the table and we try to just enjoy each other’s company. We try to eat together every night and I’d say we’re successful at least five or six nights per week (my work schedule makes eating together difficult sometimes, but we can usually work it out).  Continue reading “The Toys Are Alive!”

Dear E: Be A Man

Dear E,

It’s been a little while since I’ve written to you. We’ve all been busy, you and your mom and me, between work and going to the beach and playdates and all the other stuff that manages to occupy people’s time. We’ve been having a lot of fun together at the pool, playing catch and getting into tickle fights at home. And I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it is to have a mini-dance party with you in the living room while Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” plays in the background. But there’s something more serious we have to talk about.

We have to talk about girls.  Continue reading “Dear E: Be A Man”

New York Metro Parents Interview

New York Metro Parents is one-stop shopping for all things parenting in the New York City area. Whether you’re looking for parenting techniques, local kid-friendly attractions, educational resources, special needs service providers or just about anything else a parent could need, New York Metro Parents has it. Also, their “Stuff We Like” section is all about New York City area parent bloggers and they recently interviewed me about Sleeping on the Edge so they could feature me on the site. Here’s the article in all its glory.

Enjoy!  Continue reading “New York Metro Parents Interview”

Rise of the Machines

I went to Disney World for the first time for my 21st birthday.

I usually get a number of different reactions to that statement, including “Oh, that’s so cute!” and “I’ve had so much more fun at Disney when I’ve been older” and “Really? Your 21st birthday was at Disney? And your first legal drink was a Michelob Light?”[1]

My first visit to Disney World and the subsequent discussion of when my wife and I will be introducing E to Disney are both topics for a different blog entry. The reason I brought up Disney is because while T and I were there, we went on the “ride” at Epcot all about evolving technology and the ways technology affects our daily lives.  Anyone who’s been to Epcot knows exactly the ride I’m talking about.  It’s the one where you sit in the seats and see the same family living room over the course of different decades and they sing that song, “It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” over and over again. And while I’m not sure today is particularly greater, bigger or more beautiful than yesterday[2], I have been thinking a bit more about the ways technology is changing and what that’s going to mean for E as he grows up.  Continue reading “Rise of the Machines”

Verified by MonsterInsights