Back to School On a recent Saturday we participated in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools “Back to School Bash” along with hundreds of community family members. There were games and activities for the children. There was a free lunch of hotdogs and pizza for the everyone. There was entertainment. A national sorority sponsored the giveaway of school…
Reflection in my Backyard For the past ten years, since my children left for college, I have mowed my grass and done the other yard work which I am able to do. Every weekend is my time alone with my earbuds and noise reducing earmuffs when I have time to think and reflect. Songs of…
The Oath of Office “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of … and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God” If you have watched the news lately you have probably heard this or a similar oath…
The Pain Continues This week, we felt the pain of yet another mass shooting – during a July 4th Parade in a suburb of Chicago. As obvious as it is that something needs to be done, this event will fuel the continuing debate over gun control. Pile that on to the school tragedy in Texas.…
Greetings Be There Dad Supporters! In recent weeks, Be There Dad has drawn some attention in the local and national media about our engagement of dads in local schools. Unfortunately, some of this visibility has been initiated because of the concern about school safety and security. As you know, dads add to the sense of…
Visibility With mixed emotions, in the last week or so, our organization has gotten a lot of visibility as a result of the massacre in Texas. A dads group connected to Be There Dad® responded quickly and the dads were present at a local school during car pool line for the three days following the…
The Need for Reflection Joe Ehrmann, former NFL player, ordained minister and focus of the book Season of Life, has told us that as men we need to periodically take time to reflect on our lives, to see the bigger picture and to consider how we can impact our children; rather than staying busy and…
I Still Hear It I am 67 years old. I have a good education and lots of life experience; yet, still whenever I sit down to write an article like this, whenever I speak in front of an audience, whenever I need to make a decision or try to solve a problem, I hear a…
Social scientists tell us that allowing our children to go out and play among themselves helps them to develop some skills we hope they will use as adults such as ingenuity, conflict resolution and relationship building; as well as develop character traits like acceptance, loyalty and integrity. On a recent evening I had…
It was a typical Saturday morning. Knowing I had lots of chores to do, I neither showered nor shaved. I dressed in my “grubbies” – sporting a faded warm-up with a few well-earned holes – in anticipation of the dirt and sweat I would collect throughout the day. Part of my outfit was my beloved…