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Discovering Dad

Learning what it means to be a good dad.

Sweating the Small StuffNovember 18 2008

This article written by Contributing Writer Tom Bowns.

I’ve often heard the old saw “Don’t sweat the small stuff” and the lesser-known corollary: “It’s all small stuff.” Whoever wrote these maxims must not have had to take care of any small children.

It’s nearly impossible for a caring parent NOT to sweat the small stuff, particularly when the small “stuff” is being crammed into larger, expensive-to-repair important “stuff.” Being vigilant as a dad means watching what your kids do, being sure they don’t hurt themselves, and trying to intercept things before damage is done to the house and furniture. We’re always on our toes - alert, ready to spring into action and save the day.

Most of the things kids do though does not cause permanent damage.  Most things are smaller, such as spilling cereal on the floor, leaving the door open when the heat is on, scribbling on a book with a pen, repeatedly turning on and off a light and flushing things down the toilet.  These things are annoying, but they probably won’t hurt anyone.  And yet, we often act like it’s the end of the world when they occur.

For exa

Please Welcome Chris Lopez as new Contributing WriterNovember 10 2008

I’m very proud to announce that Chris Lopez, aka FitandBusyDad, is officially a Contributing Writer for Discovering Dad.  The positive response Chris’ guest post series Fitness for Dads has received is what inspired me to ask him to join the me and the crew of outstanding writers who post regularly on the site.

Chris will continue to write articles about fitness for dads, as well as share his experience and thoughts about what it means to be a good dad.

Here’s some additional information about Chris:

Chris Lopez, BSc HK, CSCS is a fitness expert, writer and personal trainer. He is an occasional contributor to the Globe and Mail, Maximum Fitness and Men’s Fitness Magazines and has been helping get Busy Dads in shape for 10 years since the birth of his first child. He and his wife live in Toronto, Canada with their 4 daughters.  You can also read his Spotlight on Dads feature to get some more personal insights i

Thank You for Voting - Get Ready for ChangeNovember 6 2008

Thanks to all of you who joined the Discovering Dad Pledge to Vote! This was truly a historic election, and I think everyone will agree that America is about to embark on a new path under the leadership of Barack Obama.

Some say this path will be filled with obstacles and challenges that no one leader could ever overcome; others say that a new era of prosperity and peace will be upon us within the next four years. Either way, things are going to change and it is the result of all of you exercising your right to vote.

The following Discovering Dad readers were randomly selected to win the Pledge to Vote Prize packs from Hachette Books:

Clark
PG
Lee McKusick
Roger
Daniel

All five of you will receive 10 politically-oriented books from Hachette Books USA.

Discovering Dad Pledge to VoteOctober 23 2008

Voting is one of the most fundamental and important rights within a democracy.  It is a way to ensure you have a say in who leads our country, states, counties and cities.  As a local elected City Councilman, I can tell you that it is a huge honor to be voted into office by your neighbors and fellow citizens.

As a dad, it is important to me that I role model civic responsibility to my kids, and the first and most important way that I do that is by exercising my right to vote.  The second way I do this is by getting informed and understanding the issues and candidates positions on them.  The third way I do this is by getting involved.

You can involved too.

Discovering Dad Pledge to Vote Contest

All you have to do is leave a comment with your pledge that you will go to the polls and vote on Tuesday, November 4th.

Now, I would strongly recommend taking the time over the next week to dig deeper into the issues that are important to you and your family.  Where do the candidates stand on each of these issues?  Which one of them will best represent your position?  What can you do between now and November 4th to get involved?

I pledge to all of you that I will be informed and voting.  I encourage all of you to join me!

Hachette Book Group has agreed to send 5 random pledgers a package of 10 books related to politics, including The Revolution by Ron P

Spotlight on Dads - Chris LopezOctober 18 2008

Spotlight on Dads is a weekly series from Discovering Dad that features involved fathers from around the world. The objective of the series is to inspire fathers to connect and learn from one another, while also deconstructing the stereotype of fathers as ’second’ parents.

This week’s spotlight shines on Chris Lopez of Fit and Busy Dad.  Chris is a father of four and fitness expert, and I’ve been excited to get to know him better over the past several months.  He is the author of the new Fitness for Dads series here on Discovering Dad, and I wanted to give readers a chance to get to know Chris a little better.

Tell a little about yourself. My name is Chris Lopez (a.k.a. The FitAndBusyDad). I’m happily married to Rozanne (yes, you spell that with a “Z”), my wife of 8 years. I’m dad to 4 beautiful daughters with very feminine names and boyish nicknames – Angelica “A.J.” (10), Josefina “Joey” (5), Francesca “Frankie” (3) and Mikaela “Mikey” (1). Nicknaming the first two was a flu