It always amazes me how, for a toddler, just about anything can become a toy. Some of L’s favorites over the last few months have included an old cell phone, a wooden spoon and the tassel on a pillow at the cottage we rented in England (of course yours truly named the tassel, “Furry Tassel,” [...]

For those of you who aren’t opposed to television time for the kiddies, a friend of mine told me recently about a great holiday gift: A DVD with a fun new approach to get kids reading.
The DVD, dubbed “Mr. 7 Yea!” features kindergarten teacher Marc Sevigny reading two popular children’s books in an engaging style. [...]

Thank goodness there’s a limit to what L can understand these days (though we still think she’s pretty darn smart). Otherwise, she might have laughed in my face during our pre-holiday trip to Target this morning.
We were in what I like to call the goody aisle; the aisle with all of the cakes, cookies and [...]

One of the biggest upsides to being busy in my professional life: Cold, hard cash. One of the biggest downsides: Long days without the opportunity to kiss L goodnight.
Such was life for me on Tuesday. After spending the first three hours of the day together, the baby I parted ways when the nanny arrived. Then [...]

Sure, Shawn Bean is an editor and a friend. But even if he weren’t I’d be recommending his new blog, “Pop Culture,” on Parenting.com, the Web site for Parenting and Babytalk magazines (again, both of these magazines are clients).
The blog, to which Shawn posts a few times every week, is great in its honest and [...]

It was with great joy that Powergirl and I welcomed Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Goldfish into L’s diet this weekend.
Then we remembered why we banned fish from this house long ago: the things are addicting.
I can’t actually estimate how many of them I’ve eaten since we introduced them with L’s lunch on Saturday. Suffice it [...]

Big deadline here in Healdsburg today, so I’ll leave you with a short post about a hilarious blog that an editor friend recently recommended: Shit My Kids Ruined.
The Web site, an obvious take-off on the popular @Shitmydadsays Twitter account (and forthcoming book), is a compilation of photos documenting the havoc children have wreaked, and (sometimes [...]

We’re just back from a weekend with the family up in Murphys, but I wanted to post a link to a New York Times story from last week about new ways in which Proctor & Gamble and other baby-product manufacturers are marketing to dads. The story raises some interesting issues, especially considering that dad is [...]

On the eve of my second Father’s Day, I’m proud to announce the launch of The Good Men Project Magazine. Though the zine first appeared online June 1, the formal debut is tomorrow. Yes, I contribute to this site. But with a host of thoughtful and moving essays on fatherhood, I’d recommend it nevertheless. Check [...]

I returned from Kauai to some wonderful professional news: A Father’s Day story I wrote for iVillage about tips for new dads has been published a week early. Thanks to all of you readers who contributed ideas and suggestions for the piece. I hope you’re satisfied with the result.
It’s always interesting to write about fatherhood [...]