Positively Dad

Not all relationships work out. That's not a surprise. What may be a surprise is just how that is impacting our kids. With divorce rates going up during the pandemic, it's important we understand how any conflict with our partner, or former partner, is affecting our children. We talked with Dr. Karey O'Hara from Arizona State University on the mental and physical health challenges kids face when their parents are divorced, separated or struggling in their relationships.

Have you ever had a tough day – a super stressful one – and tried to hide it from the kids? After all, we don’t want them to worry, right? Turns out – they can tell. They know when something is up. And, lets’ face it, often times Dads could teach a MasterClass in hiding emotions. Turns out – hiding our emotions and suppressing our stress – is – well – stressing our kids out. The last year has been a challenging one. It was right around this time last year that COVID became a real and major issue in this country. Schools started to close, sporting events were cancelled, offices shut down. That brought a lot of uncertainty and stress to many families – stress on top of the traditional day-to-day issues the average family faces. Terri and I were certainly worried about what was ahead – could we stay safe… what was going to happen with by job that required weekly travel and speaking to groups of 100+ daily. As I reflect on this time last year… well, life was stressful. And I did everything I could to keep Naomi f

As we celebrate two years of Positively Dad, we're also are close to another anniversary, a year of COVID in the United States. Our lives have been so different over the last 12 months and it comes with so many challenges. Justin Su'a is all about keeping focused in the face of adversity. He's the mental performance coach with the Tampa Bay Rays and a father of three. He shares his strategies that help elite athletes that can help you too.

Parents are faced with what feels like an impossible situation... sending kids back to school during a pandemic. It's been a tough choice for many families. Do you send the kids back to the school building, do some type of e-learning or even homeschool? There are many factors at play too... your work situation, the educational needs of your kids, mental health and more. Dr. Hope Seidel is a mom of two, a http://www.parentingcoaches.com (parent coach) and a pediatrician in Cary, North Carolina. She has some great things for you to think about as we head back to school.

It’s back to school time – or is it? Coronavirus has the start of this school year up in the air. As COVID-19 cases rise in most of the country, administrators, teachers, parents and kids are being forced to make tough decisions. We'd like to help as you and your family consider this upcoming school year. We're kicking off this series with a conversation with https://www.williamhaseltine.com/ (Dr. William Haseltine.) He's written the book A Family Guide to COVID and believes kids in most areas should stay home right now. He also says there are specific questions parents should ask schools before sending kids back. 

We’ve focused on race in America for our last several episodes. We talked about how we can talk with our kids about what we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks and how we can inspire change. Now it's time to move from inspiration to perspiration. Emerick Peace is a dad of two adult kids and he says now is the time to take action. Don't just talk - do something too. We'll talk about how all families can be part of the change and turn the moment into a movement.

Are you accepting to different perspectives? Be careful before you answer. Honestly ask yourself – are you really accepting to different perspectives? Dad of four, Josh Gossard, says that is one way we end racism in America. Josh is a white man, married to a black woman and with four biracial children and a grandson. He says our willingness to accept a different perspective is key to change.

We're continuing our series on Race in America with a conversation around inclusion and diversity with Derrick Slack. Derrick is a husband, father, social studies teacher and author. http://www.dslack.com/ (His latest book Orange teaches kids about the importance of being kind and connecting with those who aren't like you.) We have a powerful conversation on the state of race in America and how we can turn this moment into a movement.

We’re focusing on race in America for the next several episodes. https://positivelydad.com/podcast/race-in-america/ (We began our conversation with our last episode. I talked with Andrew Grant-Thomas from EmbraceRace about where we are today and how we can move forward. )We talked about how we can talk with our kids about what we've seen over the last 10+ days and the underlying racial injustice that's been part of America's history for 400+ years. We'll continue these conversations over the next several weeks as we talk with fathers from all backgrounds about raising kids today. This week, we’re talking with Eric Lindsey from Boston. Eric is the father of two boys – ages 3 and 11 – and he’ll share how this moment is impacting his oldest son and the conversations he’s having about being black in America.

America is in crisis. 40 million unemployed, 100,000+ dead from Coronavirus and US cities are burning. This is a moment in history unlike we’ve seen in my lifetime. How do you talk about this with your family? How can you use this moment to actually inspire hope and change? We're talking with Andrew Grant-Thomas from https://www.embracerace.org/ (Embrace Race), an organization that helps parents raise children who can do just that - embrace all races. This is Andrew's second visit to Positively Dad. While this conversation is specific to what we're seeing in America at this moment, we had a more general conversation last year. It's called https://positivelydad.com/podcast/learning-to-embrace-race-e36/ (Learning to Embrace Race) and would be a good one to hear after you listen to this episode.

It's no doubt that emotions are high right now. COVID-19 has us making change after change in our lives. It's impacting every part of our world and it can be tough on us, our partners and our kids. This week we present an encore conversation with https://www.marcbrackett.com/ (Dr. Marc Brackett) from the https://www.ycei.org/ (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence) and the author of https://www.marcbrackett.com/about/book-permission-to-feel/ (Permission to Feel). This episode will help you and your family be aware of your emotions during what can be an emotional time.

Join us in supporting the https://www.facebook.com/MattieWilliamsNeighborhoodFamilyCenter/ (Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center) food pantry with the https://www.facebook.com/events/679791816170596/ (Positively Dad Virtual 5k & Family Fun Run) on May 30. In the last two months, Mattie Williams has nearly doubled the number of families it supports. Food is becoming more expensive for the center to purchase and so we've asked https://www.gigglewaters.com (Gigglewaters) to help. We talk with Janet Hooper, Director of the Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center and Rachel Wilson, owner of Gigglewaters on Facebook Live last week about the 5k and how you can help. This episode is a replay of that conversation. Your donation will to directly to purchasing food for the food pantry. Visit https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toasttab.com%2Fgigglewaters%2Fv3%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3bEKrHhVaCQES9wiEXp4tpqO0HUmNWByEzp-2-FOsyL38MZBzuK0sGgZA&h=AT3TrWM4Rc9QarGM7QTiJy_

Wil Loesel left his corporate job to become a middle school math teacher. Just six months into his first year in teaching, everything changed. Concerns over COVID-19 shutdown the school and Wil had to move his classes online. What this dad of two didn't realize is that Coronavirus was nothing compared to the battle he was about to fight.

It's a common cause of stress for families... money. The economic impact of COVID-19 isn't helping. Nearly 36 million Americans are out of work and https://www.nfcc.org/wp-content/themes/foundation/assets/files/NFCC_Discover_2020_FLS_Datasheet%20With%20Key%20Findings_Clean.pdf (almost 70% of adults in this country say they are worried about money.) Jay Gabrini wants to help and his organization, https://www.facebook.com/preparedfathers/ (Prepared Fathers), is doing just that. He joins us to share tips on fatherhood and finances.

Jason White's girls have been homeschooled their entire lives - until this year. His three daughters went to public school last fall and now they're back home again, just like the rest of us. Jason has some advice that can help the rest of us who are figuring out homeschool for the first time.

Our now normal is here to stay and we'll continue to be a resource for you. We welcome back https://twitter.com/audreymonke (Audrey Monke) from https://sunshine-parenting.com/ (Sunshine Parenting) for an important conversation on parenting during a pandemic.

We're in challenging times. How are you doing? You know, it's OK to not be OK. Sometimes we feel like we have to be the strong dad when we may be struggling inside. This week we're talking with Mark Williams about our mental well-being. He is part of an organization called https://www.reachingoutpmh.co.uk/ (Fathers Reaching Out) and specializes in mental health, fathers and family.

No doubt you’d like your kids to grow up to become amazing, successful and happy adults. That’s the end goal of being a dad, right?!?! To set your kids up for success in life. So are you doing that? You likely think you are. https://twitter.com/audreymonke (Audrey Monke) says summer camp is a great parenting model. She wrote https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Campers-Secrets-Raising-Thriving/dp/1546081798 (Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids who Become Thriving Adults.) She shares how we can take what happens at camp and bring it home.

Brian Lewis is a dad of three and wants is kids to grow up in an uplifting home. That can be tough at times and he and his wife work really hard to keep things positive. Brian shares how they believe we can build a true connection with our kids. It's a follow up to the https://positivelydad.com/podcast/parents-kids-and-their-behavior-what-really-works/ (episode we did with Brian's wife, Katherine Reynolds Lewis on behavior) and one that will help you see what really happens in their home.

Social distancing is a way of life right now. We're staying home and away from others. What is the impact on our kids and teens? It's may not be a big issue for young kids. It can be one for school age kids and only children. Dr. Amy Learmonth from William Paterson University shares what parents should know about how social distancing could make kids socially distant.