Author Archives: Rich Andrews

About Rich Andrews

Rich has been married 20 years to his wife Laura. They have 4 children together, one with many special health and learning needs because of velocardiofacial syndrome. They homeschool 2 of their 4 children. Rich has been a stay-at-home dad for the past year after working in social services for 15 years. Laura works from home full time as a medical transcriptionist. Both parents have degrees in education and have done a lot of research on health- and family-related issues. The Andrews family is committed to living a healthy lifestyle, a commitment that has become more important to them than ever after Laura was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis shortly after the birth of their fourth child. Rich worked for 9 years as a Child Protective Services (CPS) Case Manager, investigating allegations of abuse and neglect. He has also served as a Guardian ad Litem for children in divorce cases involving custody and has volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for child welfare cases, representing the best interests of children in court.

Practice Introducing Your Kids Positively

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How many times are we tempted to say something negative about our kids when we introduce them to others? Or, if someone gives them a compliment we say, “Thanks, but…” We have to throw some criticism in there. Why is that? I recently had a friend do this when someone complimented their child on how they played their musical instrument at a recital. My friend said “thanks”, but then proceeded to tell the person who gave the compliment how their child didn’t practice as much as they should have and that it could have been better. How hard is it … Continue reading →

The Voice Your Children Hear for Life

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Have you ever heard your father say, “How could you have done something so stupid?” or “What on earth possessed you to do that?” What is really telling is when the child who hears these questions from their dads is all grown up, and he or she continues to hear these same questions in the that same familiar voice inside of their head. Only this time it’s at work, they just made a mistake, and they are so critical of themselves that they can’t get beyond the mistake in order to find the answer. Maybe they try to hide their … Continue reading →

Fathers of Famous Politicians and Presidents

Recently, I saw an interview on television with a presidential historian about United States Presidents and their absent fathers. The expert also looked at the current presidential nominees for the Democrats and the Republicans, their absent fathers and their need to please them. The discussion also included suggested reasons for their success. One of the reasons given for the success obtained by children of famous fathers is that their fathers were often absent from home and were very career-oriented parents. It was suggested that if a father is frequently gone from home because of his career, that the child will … Continue reading →

Famous Athletes and their Fathers

What do Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds have in common with Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr.? Answer: They were/are all famous father and son Major League baseball players. It is becoming more and more common to see these father and son “spin offs” when it comes to famous athletes. Other famous athletes and their sons that come to mind are Archie Manning, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning (NFL); Calvin Hill (NFL) and Grant Hill (NBA); Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (NASCAR). There are even female athletes that follow in their fathers “footsteps” such as Laila Ali … Continue reading →

Awesome Dads and Awesome Stats – Part Two

After reading my last article, Absent Fathers and Awful Statistics you probably could use some good news, or possibly therapy. Well, there is good news and hope enough to cause people to take action. If you would just flip those statistics around and put the father back into the equation the picture looks a whole lot better. Let’s just take education for example, according to the research compiled by the National Fatherhood Institute: • Father involvement in schools is associated with the higher likelihood of a student getting mostly A’s. This was true for fathers in biological parent families, for … Continue reading →

Absent Fathers and the Awful Statistics – Part One

If you are like me and have done any research at all on the internet about absent fathers, then you have found some pretty pathetic statistics. There are many researchers and organizations that have collected data on missing or absent fathers. According to the statistics compiled by the National Fatherhood Initiative: • Father Factor in Poverty – Children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor. In 2002, 7.8 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 38.4 percent of children in female-householder families. • Father Factor in Maternal and Infant Health – … Continue reading →

Website Review: All Pro Dad

I was looking at my bookmarks that I have saved on my computer the other day and I noticed the one for All Pro Dad. It is a website that offers programs, free and low cost resources, and special events in order to help men in their pursuit of being a better father. All Pro Dad has over 50 NFL spokesmen, and events with teams from the NFL. The program also boasts of having over 1,000 local chapters of the “All Pro Dad’s Day”, and over 40,000 email subscribers to the daily email, “Play of the Day.” All Pro Dad … Continue reading →

Book Review: Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy

A few months ago I finished reading Tony Dungy’s book Quiet Strength. At the time I read the book we were going through a very difficult time with our special needs child, who had just had a very painful surgery and had to be in the hospital for a week. It was encouraging to me to read about a successful man like Tony Dungy, who had struggled himself a lot as a player and a coach, even getting fired from his first job as a head coach. What struck me about the book was how a man who is obviously … Continue reading →

Listening to Your Kids

Today I took my two girls with me on some errands. We were busy running from place to place. One of the places we went was a church. While I was taking care of some things at the church the girls saw some toys and other items they wanted. I was immediately resistive, but listened as they explained why they wanted a particular item. My 8-year-old, who is quite persistent, wanted to get a journal. I told the girls that if they took any new item with them, they must give away two things from home. Like many other homes … Continue reading →

See, I Told You So!

Recently, I had one of those parenting moments that made me smile. My oldest son (age 16) came home with a haircut. I had not pushed the idea of a haircut, but told him if he wanted to get job it would be a good idea. He really resisted the whole haircut thing and has gone jobless for months. Slowly, all of his friends were getting haircuts, and he decided to take the plunge. I hardly recognized him after he got the haircut. He looked 5 years older. He also looked taller – he doesn’t have to slouch to be … Continue reading →