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…
A Sense of Purpose Recently, I watched a PBS concert tribute to Harry Chapin, a wonderfully gifted singer/songwriter and even greater humanitarian in the 1970s. In addition to having popular songs at the top of the charts, Harry received the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal * for his efforts to combat world hunger. Harry explained his…
Telling the Truth As a young boy, the thing I remember my parents emphasizing the most was to always tell the truth. We all heard the story about George Washington and the cherry tree along with tales of other persons of honorable character. The moral was always “tell the truth”. I suppose, like many children,…
Everyday each of us is confronted with decisions. Opportunities to move forward or not. Some decisions are large, some are small. Do my exercises or not? Practice my piano lesson or not? Salad or French fries with my burger? Wear a mask or not? Reach out to someone new or not? Love my neighbor? Push…
Throughout my life, my mother was one of my biggest fans and supporters. During the last decade, she has been the most spirited supporter of Be There Dad. She has distributed our books and told more people about our organization than most folks. For all its years, she praised Be There Dad for our vision,…