The Great Toilet Paper Debate
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in societal hoarding which has catapulted the value of toilet paper up to that of gold or platinum or beef jerky. So! I thought it might be advisable for us all to squat down and take a long, hard… LOOK at a timeless controversy surrounding this now treasured commodity, bum […]
Protect Your Kids AND Yourself
Parents have to protect their kids from harm all the time, and, ironically, they also have to protect THEMSELVES from their kids. LEGO landmines, sick sneezes to the face, roundhouse kicks to the head. No joke, I have three friends that have had their noses broken from a bobble-headed toddler giving them a surprise head […]
Know-It-All Parenting Method
Unlike all other parenting styles, Know-It-All Parenting isn’t actually a method for raising children. It’s for educating other parents on how they’re doing it oh so WRONG. Amazingly all that’s required for Know-It-All Parenting is the ability to speak or type. Another singularly unique advantage is that you don’t need to have a child of […]
Are You a Better Parent?
Fellow joke teller and new friend of mine, Karen Johnson (The 21st Century SAHM) recently posted this and, though it’s written from the perspective of a mom, it spoke to me as a father. Yelled at me, really. Her words are truly universal to parenting, and they’ve since gone completely bat-shit viral. I’m not at […]
This Dad Gets It
The following was posted on Facebook and shared into my feed last night. It sums up something I’ve been going through with my older son. Though Finn isn’t autistic he is a special brand of human: sensitive, brilliant, quirky, analytical, impulsive, hilarious. And this boy, below, seems like a brother from another mother. But I […]
Parenting Without A Manual
A photo posted by Charlie Capen (@charliecapen) on Sep 5, 2016 at 8:38pm PDT There are some days when I feel like I have no idea how to parent. You encounter a lot of imponderable stuff when you’re dealing with the formation of a human being. There are so many outcomes based on how strict, […]
How To Dad: Dad Hands + Velcro
Do you suffer from a case of “Dad Hands”? If you’ve tried to button little baby buttons on a baby’s onesie then you know the flushed anger and terror of trying to slip a tiny circle inside of a tiny opening with a writhing worm child. It’s the worst. So, as this father has put […]
What I Worry About
Occasionally, a parent-to-be will come and ask me for advice about parenting. Crazy, right? They’re so focused on what could happen or what to do, they miss one of the most important elements of the whole process. It’s not for lack of trying or thoughtfulness, but most of us start off with a mindset that […]
The Conceit of Clark Kent
We’ve all donned, at one time or another, a costume made from something pretend. A hero, a princess, a warrior, an artist — we found our identity through this play. Imaginations have always been part and parcel to the fabric of childhood but we grew up, forced to focus on the road ahead, and we […]
How To Fail Beautifully
I’ve talked a bunch about trying to teach my older son the value of losing and making mistakes. It’s been a battle. I’ve given him lots of examples of how losing or failing can lead to bigger or more sustained success, but he still can’t quite grasp the concept. Instead, I’m thinking of just showing […]
