City Dads Group and several of its members recently received nominations for social media work in the past year from its online parenting peers.

The City Dads Group blog has been nominated for Group or News Blog of the Year for the second straight time in the annual Iris Awards. The Iris Awards honor “the art of parenthood,” according to its organizers.

The following City Dads members also received individual Iris Award nominations:

• Creed Anthony, Indianapolis City Dads – Dad Blog of the Year
• Mitch Chaitin, NYC – Dad Blog of the Year
• Jim Higley, Chicago – Dad Blog of the Year

Six City Dads members also received nods for participating in the #Dads4Kesem walk across England to raise money to start a camp for the children of cancer patients, an effort nominated for Philanthropic Work of the Year. Those members are: Jeff Bogle (Philadelphia), Jason Greene (NYC), Whit Honea (Los Angeles), Michael Moebes (Atlanta), Chris Routly (Portland) and Higley.

The Iris Awards recognize “the finest expressions in art, commentary, commerce, philanthropy, ideas and connections, all the while celebrating the emerging industry created by its pioneers and leaders,” according its website.

Nominations and award winners are determined by votes received from past attendees of the Mom 2.0 Summit and Dad 2.0 Summit parenting conferences. The awards ceremony is scheduled for May 12 in Orlando, Fla., at the 2017 Mom 2.0 conference.

Editor’s Note: To celebrate Mother’s Day, we asked our friends in the dad-o-sphere and beyond what was the greatest lesson their mom taught them that they apply to their own children. Here’s the lessons dad learned.

Be a constant presence

My mom taught me that life happens in the nooks and crannies of our days. Perhaps that is why she always seemed content with who she was and where she was. She lived in the moment.

And she placed herself in the moments of her children. As a child, I was always aware of her presence and availability in my life. I am a better man because of this woman. And I am a better father because she was my mother.

– Jim Higley; author, speaker,
blogger – Bobblehead Dad; @jimhigley

Kitchen improv

Both of my parents can cook, but I learned a good deal of kitchen improvisation from my mother. She was always able to take a basket full of ingredients and make them into something cohesive. Even leftovers could become something new and different the next day. And nowadays, when I’m cooking dinner for my family, I don’t panic if I haven’t got a recipe or if I’ve got a less-than-ideal set of ingredients. The skills that my mom taught me in the kitchen help me feed my family without panicking or rushing to the grocery store for a pre-made meal. Plus, pizza’s cheaper and more delicious when you make it yourself.

– Zach Rosenberg; freelance writer, co-founder – 8BitDad,
co-organizer – L.A. Dads Group; @zjrosenberg

Carry on the conversation

As a teenager, I had many laughably short conversations with my mom that began with her pleasantly inquiring about my day and ended soon after with my classic teenage non-starter responses like “fine” or “good.” Thankfully, by my mid-20s, my mom and I had a very different dynamic: conversational, personal, fun. I valued her input and generosity. I enjoyed her company. She died at 72. I was 32. She once told me that as much as she wanted to see me married and with children, she knew she couldn’t compel it, so instead she just tried to be a good mom to the person I was. I couldn’t compel it either, but I eventually did become a husband (and a father) and I would say that for me the very best part of my relationship with my wife is how much we like to chat with each other. To give some very important credit where it’s due, I think that makes me a momma’s boy.

– Eric Messinger, editor of New York Family magazine

Lend an ear

My 4-year old son has started telling me stories. Sometimes it’s a ninja turtles fight scene; other times, the entire plot of Frozen (which we saw together). Whenever he goes on one of these detailed rambles, I smile and nod attentively because I’m reminded of how often I came home from a movie or finished a book and couldn’t wait to retell the entire thing to my mother — always a captive audience, never rushing me along; letting me cram in every triviality. I admire her patience and aspire to the same with my child. I look forward to many more years of him coming to me in excitement because he knows I’ll not just listen, but attempt to share in his excitement. I realize now those interchanges with Mom made me a better storyteller — to find significance in the minutia, to revel in the unraveling of a tale, and the freedom found in an eager listener.

– Brent Almond; designer – Design Nut,
blogger – Designer Daddy, @DesignerDaddy

Lessons Dad Learned: Patience

My mom taught me patience. I’m not saying she was always patient in every situation, but the times she was are the ones that I remember. In sixth grade, I had the lead in our school Shakespeare play and I couldn’t for the life of me memorize my lines. She sat with me for hours every night for a month, listening to me stall and mess up dialogue and soliloquies over and over. I don’t remember her ever getting frustrated with me once. In fact, I remember her smiling and nodding and celebrating every inch of progress. And when the performance came, she was in the front row with the same smile. She made me feel strong. She still does.

Now, when my daughter is trying over and over and over to accomplish a task, I resist the urge to take it from her and do it. Sure, I help when asked, but mostly I smile and I cheer and I hope she feels strong.

– John Kinnear; writer/editor – Ask Your Dad Blog; @askdadblog

Lessons dad learned main photo: Nissan

Have you ever noticed that it takes a tragic or near-tragic experience to get most people to change course? Whether it be illness, an accident, or the loss of a loved one, we need some kind of jarring event to wake us up from the malaise of our everyday lives.

In his new book, Bobblehead Dad: 25 Lessons I Forgot I Knew, dad blogger Jim Higley calls himself a “bobblehead,” like the ever-smiling toy baseball player or cartoon character with spring-loaded heads, he was going through the motions of life with a perfect grin, but not really “connecting with the events, experiences, and people” in his life, especially his children. Jim writes that he spent 44 years bobbling until he stretched his bobblehead a little too far, and the spring snapped — he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he found himself with “an entire summer at home removed from of life’s obligations.”

Jim decided to take this time to reset his life, reconsider his relationships with friends and family, and develop “road map to living the second half of my life with intent.”   Though Jim had cancer, and his road to recovery is inspirational, Bobblehead Dad is not about cancer. This is a book about reconnecting with your life and your loved ones.

For me, Bobblehead Dad is the wake-up call I need every now and then to remind me to both appreciate what I have, and to consider my own decisions in the context of what I want for myself, and what my wife and I want for our family. For me, Jim’s most powerful lessons are the ones that involve the relationships with the people around us.

For example, Jim’s Lesson 5: The best caregivers have received the best care, suggests that we not only take time to care for those close to us, but also rely on those people to care for us as well. Jim has spent a life caring for others, and when he needed help, he allowed himself to accept it from friends, family, and loved ones. This lesson also highlights the need to tend to the relationships in our lives so we have people on whom we can rely.  

Overall, Bobblehead Dad: 25 Lessons I Forgot I Knew is one of the most heartfelt, honest, and thought provoking books that I’ve read in a long time. Each of us has a reason for the decisions we’ve made, and Jim’s book serves as a great reminder to make sure to enjoy the ride. Skip the tragedy, read the book.

Last night, a dozen committed and active dads met on the Upper West Side.  We sat around an oval conference table, lounging, drinking beers, sports drinks, wine, soda, and eating Oreo cookies.  Were we talking about the Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls Game that was going on at the same time?  Not exactly.

Truth be told, We were engaged in an inspirational and candid conversation about fatherhood with Jim Higley – optimistic dad of three and author of book, Bobblehead Dad: 25 Lessons I Forgot I Knew (launch date: June 1st).  The fellas and I were involved in a two hour conversation touching on important topics like how it feels to be a dad in a mom-centric world, how fatherhood has positively evolved the past few years, how important it is to be networked in with a community of fathers (some props for the NYC Dads Group), and how to best enjoy the amazing role and bond we all share of being present in our children’s lives.  What I enjoyed most about the evening was that it was a laid back “conversation” – not a lecture, not a book reading, not a milestone competition…but an open dialogue about a feeling of pride that we all share.  Jim’s final message still resonates with me today – forget what the books, websites, and friends feed you about being a good “parent.”  Listen to your children’s needs and stay “tuned into” what they need to feel safe, secure, and loved.  I left the evening with such a fire about being a dad and husband!

Matt S., has been following Jim’s work on The Good Men Project and Man of the House for awhile now, and was really excited to hear that he wrote a book that will be released in June, Bobblehead Dad: 25 Lessons I Forgot I Knew. He’ll post his full review of the book on the blog soon, but he does say “that this is one of the most heartfelt, honest, and thought provoking books that I’ve read in a long time. Each of us has a reason for the decisions we’ve made to be very active in our children’s’ lives, and Jim’s book serves as a great reminder to enjoy the ride.”  Now, that we know Jim personally, we know that he exudes the same amazing qualities as a person – sincere, optimistic, intelligent, and a proud dad.

During our discussion, Jim Higley also talked about his “dad” journey, the influence of his own dad, raising his kids alone, the decision to leave his corporate job, and passion for being a writer. Overall, it was a wonderful opportunity to hear from Jim, as well as to hear from some other great Dads about their path and the decisions they’ve made along the way.

More about Jim Higley from Jim Higley
I am a single dad raising my three children alone – – and actually stepped out of the corporate workforce almost four years ago to be a fulltime SAHD.

Over the last year, I’ve been pursuing my secret dream of writing and am now published in three national publications weekly. I am the inaugural winner of the “World’s Greatest Dad” Challenge, a nationwide contest sponsored by Proctor & Gamble Production’s Man of the House magazine. This was a national competition promoting fatherhood and men who write about being a dad.

My first book, “Bobblehead Dad: 25 Life Lessons I Forgot I Knew” (June publication date) is an inspirational account of a my journey through fatherhood, cancer, and life. In essence, it’s a book about living the life you were meant to live. My publisher is planning a nation-wide launch for Father’s Day.

I write a weekly online fatherhood column, “Bobblehead Dad,” for the Chicago Tribune Triblocal and I am a featured contributor for other national online publications, including The Good Men Project and Man of the House.