parenting Archives - SocialDad.ca

Building a blanket fort birthday

December 14, 2020

When you’re looking for ideas for indoor birthday parties or even rainy day activities, building a blanket fort it’s always a super fun option and with just a few adjustments, it can go from a blanket hanging over the couch, to epic indoor festival. To start, string a strong piece of rope or nylon camping string and hang between either a door hinge, a secure curtain rod or a stud nail. If it’s in dry wall, the weight might pull it right out. Then use bulldog/binder clips to secure a large ...

Dad-ing

Pancake Designs and a Fish Party for World Ocean Day

May 30, 2020

When my daughter said that we should have a ‘Fish Day’ this weekend, we pushed aside the confusion and said, “yeah, why not?”. I mean it’s not like we’ve got anywhere to be. Fortunately, it also works as a run-up to World Ocean Day on June 8th, a day to ...

Dad-ing

Stop Stressing, We’re All Just Winging It

March 31, 2020

Spring Break is over, or so they tell me. As you know, we’ve drifted into some kind of range of days where vacation has ended but our kids are meant to be learning stuff. What, exactly I’m not sure. But something. As parents, we’re expected to do an awful lot, but in this ...

Dad-ing

8 Tips to Encourage Independent Play

January 11, 2020

Since our daughter is an only child, I always just thought that either my wife and I should be playing with her the whole time. I worried that she might feel lonely or feel rejected if I said ‘no’ to a request of hers. It turns out that wasn’t exactly true. By saying ...

Dad-ing

I Figured Out the Root of All Arguments – for Grown-Ups and Kids

September 23, 2019

As I was just putting my daughter to bed and sitting silently in the dark as she drifted off, I was thinking about why she always asks for one more story or for me to just sit there until well after she’s asleep. She wants to know I’m still there, looking after her. But then, as my ...

Dad-ing, opinion

The Consistent Imbalance of Parenting

July 18, 2019

Children need to know that they don’t have the power over the decision-making and that they don’t need to worry about what’s for dinner, when to bathe, when to play. All they need to do is rely on his/her parent to take care of the hard stuff. Trouble comes if they’re ...

Dad-ing

Do Horses Have Bones? 11 Bizarre Bedtime Questions from My Daughter

March 28, 2019

My daughter’s bedtime is always a great time to settle down, process the day, and answer any lingering questions she’s thought about while playing in the park or chatting with her pre-school friends. They don’t always make a lot of sense, but I guess she has to figure ...

Dad-ing

The Easiest DIY Garden Planter Project

February 25, 2019

Late on Sunday evening I wanted to build a little project with my daughter, and since Spring is just around the corner I wanted to do something in the garden. We already have a 3×3 meter space for growing a few flowers like the ones sold at Flower Chix and attempts at vegetables, although the ...

Dad-ing

The REAL Man’s Guide to Being a Father

February 15, 2019

There’s been a lot of talk about manliness, what’s expected of us and brands telling me how I should behave. As a man (I checked) and a dad, I wanted to share a quick guide to make sure my fellow manly men don’t get confused. 1. You are in charge of how your kids see you. Make ...