He Should Be An Author

He Should Be an Author: Dads Behaving Dadly 2He should be an author. That’s what Adele Springsteen said to her son Bruce.

How do I know this? Well, Bruce Springsteen told me. Really, he did.

You see during his earlier days, Bruce Springsteen was apt to stop in the middle of a song. The music would slow down and Bruce would share a story. The story might be funny or serious or a combination of the two. Some were true while some were probably less so. Either way, he would tie the story to the song.

Growin’ Up

Anyway, one of these stoppages occurred during the song Growin’ Up at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, CA on July 7th, 1978.  This song and story were memorialized as they became part of the album, Live 75-85.

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Go Green and Be a Healthy Dad

 

Pic is courtesy of google images.

Pic is courtesy of google images.

Thanks to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, who sponsored the campaign, for including dads in this important discussion about family health care.  My views are based solely on my experience as a parent, and not as a medical professional.

When I turned 10, I turned green. I didn’t plant a tree. I didn’t stop using electricity.  I didn’t participate in a protest over pollution. I mean green in terms of food. Yes, the summer I turned 10, I discovered healthy eating.

My parents shipped my brother, NG, and I off to overnight camp. It was our second year at Camp Council, so we knew the drill. We would be separated by age into bunks with each bunk having around 12 kids. The daily activities would include swimming, arts and crafts, and SPORTS.

Now, when you’re a 10-year old sports fanatic and have no school, other kids around, and ample sports equipment, life is good. I was content to be left on whatever field of play we were on all day.

But, all that running around makes a boy hungry. I needed to eat.

And that’s where the problem began

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Whit Honea: Always a Writer

White Honea: Writer

Whit Honea: A Writer to Admire.

“Hey Dad, what are you doing?”

“I’m emailing myself.”

“Again?”

Whit Honea used to walk around with scraps of paper in his pocket. Today, in the technical age, he is more likely to email himself thoughts, feelings on how a moment impacts him, book ideas, story lines, or potential blog posts that used to appear on those scraps of paper.

Yes, Whit Honea is a writer.  In fact, he says he has always been a writer. Whit, who graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Creative Writing, says “writing is what I do for a living and for a hobby.” He adds “even when I’m not writing, I’m writing. I can be in the middle of watering the lawn and something will come to me and I have to go in and write what I was thinking.”

Over the course of his career, Whit has written for many publications and websites. Here is just a partial list: Babble, Fandango, Huffington Post, The Disney Blog, and Today Parents. Another place where you can read his work is on Honea Express, his Award-winning blog which focuses on parenting, entertainment, and humor.

I’ve been fortunate to ‘meet’ Whit through the dad bloggers Facebook group we both belong to. Whit has been a dad blogger for years.  “Everything I write, I write through the lens of a parent.  I can’t separate myself from being a dad. Yet Whit is “not comfortable with the term” as he does not like labeling people. He does however appreciate the community.

Occasionally, Whit and I email or speak. As I go through my current transition to a freelance writer, I find these conversations invaluable. Having someone with whom I can speak that is a real live writer and whose work I admire serves as inspiration.

Don’t tell Whit what I just said. You see he finds it hard to receive compliments about his writing particularly when the work is more personal. Yet, the father of two is very happy to see people succeed that he cares for and respects.

His most personal work is his first book, The Parents’ Phrasebook which was published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. “Writing the book was a relief because I had wanted to do it for so long. I thought I needed it to validate myself as a writer, and it feels good to have something that is tangible and point to and say I did that,”  said Whit.

However, just because he has a book about parenting, don’t call him a parenting expert – he says he’s not. Whit says he wanted to write a practical book that is based on experience, and trial and error.  “The book offers what NOT to do, because I have really been in those situations!” The goal of the book is to help parents communicate with their kids.

By the way, Whit is one of those people who has a million jobs and yet always seems to find time. One of his jobs is a Senior Account Executive for XY Media Group. They work with various brands trying to reach the dad market. XY Media Group encourages positive portrayals of fatherhood in media, marketing, and research efforts. He recently co-founded, along with Carter Gaddis, an organization entitled Dads 4 Change. The site highlights charitable action and raises awareness of causes and social good.

Whit offered me some advice regarding writing. “Some people say mean things but don’t let the negative feedback take a toll on your life.” He added for too long took he took the negative feedback seriously. “Put time and energy into things that matter,” added Whit.

By the way, Whit still does occasionally write those ideas he has on paper, or on the back of junk mail, or on form sent home from his children’s school. Just don’t call those pieces of paper scrap because someday he is going to turn those words into gold.

A Son Grows, A Dad Wonders

Dad and child.

Jack and his daughter.

They change right? Our children that is. They grow up and when they do, we want them to do better than us. Isn’t that the rule?

Well, my fellow Dad Blogger, Jack, who blogs at the TheJackB surely feels this way about his son who seems to be growing rapidly right in front of his eyes. Jack, a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays, fashions himself as a would-be superhero fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way. Over at the TheJackB, the husband father and friend covers a wide range of topics including business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion.

Trust me: the TheJackB is an engaging blog which I read regularly. So, after you read this, head on over there.

“Dad, they shouldn’t give us so much homework to do during summer. It’s not fair and it’s not right.”

I nod my head and tell him part of me agrees with him, but it doesn’t matter because this isn’t a debate. His homework is his responsibility. It’s part of the joy of going into 8th grade and getting ready for high school.

High school.

It doesn’t seem possible that my son is almost old enough to be in high school. It is hard to fathom how fast time has gone, but it’s growing easier to imagine a time when he will not be a little boy any more.

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