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Attachment Parenting and Time's Provocative Cover

2012-05-15T09:44:12Z

The parenting world is all abuzz about the most recent issue of Time Magazine. It is partly about the article on attachment parenting but mostly about the cover which features a toddler standing up, nursing at his mother's breast, with the evocative title, "Are You Mom Enough?"

Attachment parenting is all about staying physically and emotionally close to your children, particularly for mothers. The Time article talks about the pros and cons of attachment parenting, quoting a variety of parenting experts and parents who have been practicing attachment parenting for many years. One element of attachment parenting (one among many) relates to the importance of breastfeeding as an emotionally and physically healthy feeding approach. But there are many other elements that also have positive implications.

There are many parenting styles out there, and each family should explore their options and find elements of the many styles that work best for their families and children. Attachment parenting has a lot of good and certainly is child-centered. Our children were raised with many attachment parenting principles in place and while we were not obsessive about it, we worked hard to use the concepts as we reared our children.

More on parenting styles:

Image courtesy of Pando Hall / Getty Images

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Attachment Parenting and Time's Provocative Cover originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 at 09:44:12.

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Drop Dead Healthy - An Entertaining and Inspiring Book

2012-05-12T17:43:42Z

Every now and again I take the time to read a book that both entertains and makes me want to be better. A.J. Jacobs has done it again for me with his latest book Drop Dead Healthy - One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection.

If you haven't read A.J. Jacobs' other books then you are in for a real treat with this one. His other books, The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World and The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible are written in a similar vein, chronicling his efforts to become perfect in intellectual and spiritual pursuits. Drop Dead Healthy takes the same approach to trying to attain perfection in his personal health.

If you are looking for a great summer read, Drop Dead Healthy should be on your list. You can read my summary and review, and then get this book on your list to read soon. You will love his writing style, his adventures in learning and living healthier, and you will find yourself laughing out loud as he encounters others and develops his own sense of perfect health and wellness as a man, a husband and a father.

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Drop Dead Healthy - An Entertaining and Inspiring Book originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Saturday, May 12th, 2012 at 17:43:42.

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Check out Tykoon - A New Financial Tool for Families

2012-05-08T17:43:19Z

I love seeing entrepreneurs embracing the need to help families with some of their toughest tasks. Folks who have created online calendars, iPhone apps, allowance programs and more can bring important tools to families.

The latest tech-based tool for families to teach financial responsibility is Tykoon.com. I love the concept here. In essence, parents can set up chores, responsibilities or behaviors that they would like to reward and post them on Tykoon. As their kids accomplish something that has a reward established (financial or otherwise), the login and record their accomplishment. When financial rewards are attached to the behavior, the child builds an account from which he can save, spend or give to charitable causes.

Tykoon is incredibly easy to use and they have built lots of security protections into the program. Parents can access Tykoon at the family computer, with a mobile app or anywhere via web browser. And kids can watch their savings grow and save for things they want to get or for supporting a variety of charitable causes.

So check out Tykoon and see if it can help you and your family learn more about being responsible stewards of your resources.

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Check out Tykoon - A New Financial Tool for Families originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 at 17:43:19.

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How to be an Active Listener

2012-05-05T17:36:03Z

One of the important skills I learned early in my parenting years was the skill of active listening. I will be the first to admit I don't do it as well or as often as I should. I tend to be easily distracted and my efforts at multitasking often leave me trying to focus in too many areas at once than I should.

But taking the time and paying attention to whomever is communicating with me at any given time is actually a big time saver. If you fail to actively listen, you usually have to have the same conversation multiple times. And it helps you come to appreciate the other person even more when you take the time to listen and to communicate the value that the person has to you.

So, take a look at my primer on active listening and see if it can help you in your important role as a parent!

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How to be an Active Listener originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Saturday, May 5th, 2012 at 17:36:03.

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How A Dad Can Tell When To Change Babysitters

2012-04-30T08:19:11Z

Babysitters can be life savers, especially for single dads who find themselves needing an occasional night out, date, or having a late meeting at work. Choosing the right babysitter is a big deal, but just as important, a single dad needs to know when it is time to make a change. What are the warning signs for a single dad to know when his babysitter needs to be replaced?

There are some important warning signs that should make a single dad think twice about using the babysitter again when these signs pop up.

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How A Dad Can Tell When To Change Babysitters originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 08:19:11.

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Mitt Romney on Fatherhood

2012-04-28T08:03:13Z

Now that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States, it is time to be thinking about what Governor Romney would do for fathers as President. It is an interesting question because we know that he is a committed father of five sons and 16 grandchildren and that he and his wife Ann have been married for 46 years (a pretty good record of family life). But his service as governor of Massachusetts as it relates to fathers' rights was not very distinguished.

But, given that situation, I did some research about Governor Romney's history and his stance on issues related to fathers and families. And as time goes on and political platforms become clearer, I will update this profile and try to keep our readers up to date on the positions taken by both Governor Romney and President Obama as the November election draws closer.

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Mitt Romney on Fatherhood originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Saturday, April 28th, 2012 at 08:03:13.

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Vote for Military Fatherhood Award Winner for 2012

2012-04-27T18:03:05Z

Every year, our friends at the National Fatherhood Initiative host the Military Fatherhood Award ceremony to honor an extraordinary father who is a member of the military. Their judges have narrowed the list of more than 450 nominees to three finalists. They are:

Senior Airman Jonathan Jackson, U.S. Air Force
First Lieutenant William Edwards, U.S. Army
Lieutenant Dennis Kelly, U.S. Navy

Each of them have an amazing story, and I suspect that the voting will be close this year. You can see their stories and then vote for your favorite on the National Fatherhood Initiative's Facebook page. You can vote daily though May 20, so feel free to head over there often to choose your favorite!

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Vote for Military Fatherhood Award Winner for 2012 originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Friday, April 27th, 2012 at 18:03:05.

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Enhancing Work-Life Balance by Making Meetings More Efficient

2012-04-25T16:55:40Z

Meetings seem to be an enormous time waster at work, taking time away from more productive activities and from your family. Learn techniques for making meetings more efficient, thus helping create more time for more important things like work-life balance.

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Enhancing Work-Life Balance by Making Meetings More Efficient originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at 16:55:40.

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How to Set Up A Dad's Home Office

2012-04-22T00:49:34Z

It sure seems like more and more fathers are working from home these days. Some are telecommuting, some are freelancing or consulting, and others operate a home-based business. I think it is great for dads to be able to work from home, but it can be tough to create the needed separation from family when Dad needs to be working.

Creating the right environment for a home office can be a challenge when you decide to work from home. You need to set up your home office so that it is efficient, attractive and functional. Learn how to set up a home office to meet your needs and help you balance work and life as a stay at home dad.

Image courtesy of BigStock Photo.

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How to Set Up A Dad's Home Office originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 at 00:49:34.

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Earth Day on Sunday - What Are You Doing?

2012-04-21T06:39:06Z

April 22 is Earth Day, and it is a good opportunity to teach our children something about the environment and our responsibility as stewards of the earth on which we reside. Our family has had lots of activities over the years associated with Earth Day. We have done service projects, planted vegetables in our garden, collected recyclable materials, and more. You can talk about recycling, you can work on environmental awareness activities, or you can implement some energy savings tips in your home.

Other About.com guides have also created a ton of activities for Earth Day. Check out a few of them as you and your family prepare for your Earth Day activities.

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Earth Day on Sunday - What Are You Doing? originally appeared on About.com Fatherhood on Saturday, April 21st, 2012 at 06:39:06.

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