Tag Archives: hyperactivity

The Missing

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Recently I’ve been working — a lot. As part of my work for my dissertation I’ve been writing a great deal over the past five weeks. I’d planned this. My family knew that I’d be working a lot and we prepared for it as best we could. It has basically meant that I’ve spent well over 90 percent of my non-sleeping hours typing on a computer (or writing in a notebook) in our basement. This has also meant, unfortunately, that I’ve missed out on a great number of fun summer activities with our son. I’ve been swimming once (but I’ve … Continue reading →

Daycare Day 1: Morning

The morning came particularly quickly on my son’s first day of daycare. Despite my wife’s best efforts to have everything neatly organized in bags near the door the morning still felt rushed, uncomfortable, and different. I had a little talk with my son. As a father I felt it was my duty to tell him that today was going to be different. I told him that we weren’t abandoning him and that his mom was going to check in on him at lunchtime and pick him up early. I told him that he would be with other babies and some … Continue reading →

Desperate Dad vs. Unsympathetic Electric Company

As parents we’ve all maintained at one time or another how we would do anything for our children. I hear it from parents all the time: “Oh, I would give anything to see my daughter happy.” “I would die for my son.” Yada, yada, yada… No offense, but some of these parents are the very ones who won’t shell out a buck more for their kid to get a grilled chicken sandwich at McDonald’s instead of the cheaper McChicken because they need the money to buy themselves a Big Mac or cigarettes on the way home. But I digress. If … Continue reading →

A Memory Chip

It was Christmas Eve, and I was cooking a special meal for the family. Outside, a blizzard had just quieted to a few wandering flakes. A thick blanket of snow hushed all the early evening sounds. I checked the turkey in the oven and then went outside to marvel at how beautiful and peaceful it all was. Stars. Snow. I walked down the steps of our porch, across the yard. Then suddenly, I allowed myself to fall backward and make a snow angel. I wondered how old I was the last time I made one. Probably eight or ten. Then … Continue reading →

Forty Reasons to Have Children

A French woman by the name of Corinne Maier has recently published a book in which she lists forty reasons why no one should ever have children. A mother of two herself, she says that she really regrets having children, and resents how she became a traveling baby bottle, how she lost her friends, and how the pain of childbirth is torture. She is a strong advocate for women to remove themselves from the traditional “soccer mom” role (yes, there is an equivalent to this expression in French) and to think of themselves, their figures, and their romantic lives first. … Continue reading →

Fathers Pushing Prams

I have just returned from a ten-day trip to Scandinavia and one of the most delightful common sights on the streets of Oslo, Norway was the steady quantity of fathers pushing prams and wearing babies. I was told by a Norwegian that raising children and parenting is an important focus for those who choose to be parents and that moms and dads both get completely involved from the beginning… All the paternal involvement was actually quite noticeable and obvious. As I toured parks and just walked the streets of the city, there were fathers with babies wrapped around them in … Continue reading →

Greetings from the New Fatherhood Blogger

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My name is Kevin Delp, and I’ve recently joined the ranks of bloggers here at families.com as the man responsible for the Fathers’ section. I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you a little about myself. I’m happily married to my college sweetheart and wife of eleven years, Valorie. Together we have managed to survive (so far… knock on wood) raising five children. I’ve certainly had some interesting “daddy adventures” in my brief career of being a father, and I’m not foolish enough (anymore) to think that I know or have seen it all as a dad. When I’m … Continue reading →

ADHD and Medication: Finding the Right Dose

If your child is on stimulant therapy for ADHD, finding the right dose can be difficult. Every child is an individual who will respond physically and mentally to medication in different ways. Even when a dosage has been working well for some time, it will likely need to be adjusted as your child grows and develops. The difference between the correct dose and an incorrect one can make all the difference in your child’s outlook. Finding a dose that will benefit your child requires a triangular partnership between you as the parent, your child’s pediatrician, and your child’s teacher. What … Continue reading →

Date with Dad (or Mom)

Recently, while my wife was attending an after-hours Holiday work function, I decided to ask my daughter if she would like to get out of the house and go on a date with Daddy. She said yes, of course. This would be an awfully short and fairly uninteresting blog post had her answer been anything but affirmative! We decided, at my request, to drive the 40 minutes into center city Philadelphia. I knew that there was a band called The Evens playing a show that night and tickets were only $5. In addition to the low price, the venue was … Continue reading →

Childhood behavioral problems and binge drinking

A comprehensive study involving more than 1600 participants has established a significant link between behavioral problems in childhood and subsequent adolescent binge drinking. Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia looked at the phenomenon of binge drinking, which was classified in the study as consuming at least five drinks in quick succession more than seven days a month by the time the individual was 17 years of age. Binge drinking is becoming particularly popular with incident rates soaring since the 1980s. About 60% of the participants were rated as moderate drinkers and 14% were listed as “heavy.” Among the … Continue reading →