While I’m hardly a parenting expert, as a co-organizer for Dallas Dads Group, I sometimes get asked for tips for new dads.  So without further ado, here are my five tips I’d give to any new dad:

Don’t strive for perfection when good is good enough.

As parents, we want the absolute best for our children. We want to feel good about our parenting and we want to portray to others that we have this down. Seeing other seemingly perfect parents on social media doesn’t help either. The truth is this: we all have bad days and we all make mistakes.  They key is to learn from them.  Don’t fall into the trap of obsessing over every detail to make things perfect. You’ll likely drive yourself crazy and your kid won’t end up being better for it.

Continue to do things you enjoy and support your partner in doing the same.

You had a child, not a brain transplant. You’re still you and your interests and hobbies are still valid to pursue. Whether your thing is playing golf, going to concerts, writing novels, or visiting every new BBQ restaurant in your area and keeping score of all of them, don’t let parenthood stop you from doing those things. Time and financial constraints will force you to do them less often and/or on a different schedule. That’s reality, but it’s important to make time for yourself. It’s also important to be willing to take some alone time with the baby to ensure your partner has time for their own things as well.

Be in touch with your feelings.

Whether it be joy, pride, frustration, worry, or any other numerous feelings, fatherhood brings them all out at times, in ways you might not have expected. Enjoy those times you’re feeling great, and for the negative ones, be careful that they’re not affecting you too seriously. Take an extra few deep breaths before responding to something frustrating. Also, know what postpartum depression/anxiety is and be on the lookout for signs of it. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it can, to both women and men.

Be ready for unsolicited advice.

And lots of it. To quote GURU from Gangstarr, “It’s often easier to give advice than it is for a person to run one’s own life.” (Ironically, I’m basically doing that right now, lol). The point here is that people like to give advice, and many times they assume dads with babies need lots of it. There will be the little old lady yelling at you in the supermarket because she thinks your baby isn’t dressed warmly enough. There might also be your own parents questioning your child’s eating habits or bedtime routine. Just know that it’s coming and plan ahead for what you might say back. Take the advice when you want/need it, and be ready to defend the decisions that you and your partner have made for your child. Just don’t go too hard on those little old ladies.

Connect with other dads.

For involved dads, fatherhood is a universally connecting phenomenon.  I’ve been to over 90 meetups with dads in lots of situations and know this to be true. It doesn’t matter how much or little else we may have in common with each other, we can all talk about fatherhood. Being a parent also means that your life instantly becomes a lot more complicated and time consuming. You have less time for support and socialization when you need it most. It’s important to make that time for yourself as a father and join with other fathers however you can. Dallas Dads Group is here to provide a framework for these encounters to happen. We welcome all dads from all walks of life and host several events each month. We try to connect guys who live close to each other for meet ups and provide social media outlets for guys to connect with one another. If you aren’t sure when or how to get involved, contact an organizer and we will help show you the way.

September 6th 2017 Note: I’ve updated this post to include my own experiences with four teams; the Texas Marshals, the Texas Legends, the Dallas Wings, and the Dallas Sidekicks, as well as the annual Frisco College Baseball Classic. I also want to highlight the benefits of getting Pogo Pass*, which gets you into several RoughRiders, Wings, Legends, and Revolution games each year, as well as many other DFW area family attractions. If you go to more than one game a year, the pass will be very cost-effective for your family.

If you’re a sports fan like me, you’re probably also raising your kid(s) to love sports. With a team in each of the major professional sports leagues, the DFW area is an incredible place for us sports lovers. Going to a Rangers, Mavs, Stars, or Cowboys game is a great time, but they’re also expensive and sometimes not as kid-friendly as they could be, especially for younger kids.  However, if you’re looking for something more cost-effective with the same fun factor for your young sports fans, here is a guide to the many options the DFW sports scene offers:

For any sport: For both boys and girls teams, your local high school is a great place to start. You’ll be exposing your young ones to school spirit early, and in our area, many schools have players who will end up on division 1 college teams, so there is no lack of talent. For football, in addition to the game, your kids will also get to see the marching band. My son loves this as much as the game. We also go to see basketball, baseball, and soccer. There will be mistakes made at this level, so for kids learning the game, these can be used as teaching moments.

For baseball:

1) The Frisco Roughriders seem by far the area’s most popular minor league attraction. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Rangers and all of the team’s top prospects will end up playing for the Riders at some point. It’s also a great way to catch Rangers players on rehab assignments. We got to see Josh Hamilton and Yu Darvish at past outings. You can use Pogo Pass to get into two games each season.

2) The Texas Airhogs (formerly Grand Prairie Airhogs) is a smaller, cheaper option than the Riders. They are not affiliated with a major league team and therefore you won’t be seeing top prospects, but it’s still pro ball and it’s still fun.

3) The Texas Marshals of the Texas Collegiate League is a team of college baseball players looking to continue to play competitively throughout the summer. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for kids. They have a small concession stand, and you can bring your own food and drinks. They play at the Prestonwood Christian Academy and it’s a great way to see competitive baseball up close. The crowd is small and tends to be mostly parents of the players, and this past summer I ran into a hall-of-fame parent of a player on the opposite team, Greg Maddux! And if you were wondering, his son is just as crafty as he is.

4) In early March, check out the Frisco College Baseball Classic. It’s a four-team round-robin style event with a doubleheader each of the three days. Played at Dr. Pepper Ballpark, they bring in top teams and you get to see two games each session.

5) Other local college baseball: TCU is usually very competitive nationally. For folks in greater Fort Worth, it’s a great way to see quality ball without having to make a long drive. Likewise, Dallas Baptist also fields competitive teams.

For basketball

1) The Texas Legends are the NBA developmental league team of the Dallas Mavericks, who play at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco. There’s not a bad seat in the house, and they have a kid zone behind one of the baskets with some inflatables for kids who need a break from sitting. For a small arena, it’s a great atmosphere to catch a game, and the players play hard every night, trying to earn a call-up to the NBA. You can use your Pogo Pass to get into a couple of games each season.

2) The Hoop City Dallas Pro-Am summer league features teams made up of players who have played in the NBA, NBADL, professional leagues in foreign countries, and top NCAA division 1 programs. It’s a very inexpensive way to see pro-level talent in the intimacy of a high school gym.

3) Local Colleges: SMU is having lots of recent success and therefore can be a tough ticket to get. They are in the same conference as UConn, so go see the UConn Women’s team for some of the best basketball you’ll ever see.  TCU is historically not very competitive in the Big 12, but they host Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas each year.

4) The Dallas Wings experience is relatively inexpensive and family-friendly. The area’s WNBA team includes Skylar Diggins-Smith, one of the game’s most talented and exciting stars. The games are played at UT-Arlington’s arena, creating an intimate experience without a bad seat. Don’t be deterred by their advertised ticket prices…use Pogo Pass to get into up to 3 games per season, or look for deals on Groupon.

For Soccer:
1) FC Dallas: I’m including them here even though they’re a major league team because you can get good seats for minor league prices. Toyota Stadium is a great venue, big enough to draw a loud crowd, but small enough that you can buy the cheapest ticket and you won’t be up in a nosebleed seat.

2) Dallas Sidekicks: I’m not a soccer fanatic, so when I first heard about an indoor professional soccer team, I was skeptical, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. We got a chance to have a group outing last season, and it was incredibly exciting. Because of the small playing area, the ball moves fast and the action doesn’t stop, creating an intense, high-energy atmosphere. Between the two teams, we saw 18 goals scored. I was also surprised at how physical the game was. I’m not sure I’d watch it on TV but was extremely fun to be there.

For Hockey:

1) Allen Americans – An affiliate of the NHL San Jose Sharks, this team draws top talent and has been at the top of the standings the last few seasons. If you’ve never seen live hockey from close seats, definitely give this a try. In my opinion, of the four major sports, the action of hockey translates the worst to TV, so seeing it live will be a whole new experience for those who have never been.

2) Lone Star Brahmas – this is a team of 18-20-year-olds who are hoping for college scholarships and attention from pro scouts. Several of their players end up on top division 1 NCAA hockey teams. Their arena is very small and it’s a great and low-cost way to watch quality hockey live.

For Football:
1) I’ve never seen indoor football before, so I asked group member Josh Graziani to guest-write about the Texas Revolution, who play in Allen: “The Texas Revolution indoor arena football games are intimate and action-packed. You get close-up experience of America’s favorite game and the team does a lot of giveaways and entertainment between quarters. The kids love it and the fans get into it. All of the games have great attendance and energy.” You can use Pogo Pass to get into some Revolution games each season.

2) College Football: This is a hard one to summarize.  If you go to see TCU, particularly against a big 12 rival, neither the game nor the impact on your wallet, will seem minor.  UNT and SMU would be more cost-effective choices but can be pricey for certain games.  There’s a lot of variances depending on who the opponent is.

Lastly, Some General Tips:

1) Before the game, go online and look at the rosters to learn the names of a few of the team’s key players.  When you’re there, point them out to your kids. They will feel more involved if they can cheer for the players by name.

2) Look at the promotions schedule before choosing the game you will attend. Many teams have days they give out free souvenirs such as jerseys, bobbleheads, etc. Your kids will get something cool and it won’t cost any extra. Some teams also have food deals like dollar hot dog nights.

3) Get there early.  Find a staff member to ask if there are any ways your kids can be involved. Some teams pick a kid to say “play ball”, announce a player, ride the Zamboni, or bring out the ball to start the game. Even if your kids don’t get to do any of those things, they can watch pre-game practice up close, or head to the area where players come on and off to get high fives.

4) Groupon and other similar websites can be your friend. Many of the local teams mentioned here run deals that can save you extra money.

*5) As mentioned above, Pogo Pass gets you into several games a year. Dallas Dads Group is an affiliate member of Pogo Pass.

Disclosure: Dallas Dads Group partnered with WaterWipes for this campaign.

Dallas Dads Group strives to provide chances for dads and their kids to come together and do something fun. Fortunately, when the summer heat is on in the DFW Metroplex, we have Play Street Museum, a great chain of indoor kid oriented playspaces. Thanks to WaterWipes — the world’s purest baby wipes — we were able to book one for a private meetup for our members.

We packed Plano’s Play Street museum with 19 dads and 25 children to enjoy its “great outdoors” theme, complete with several kid-sized cabins, a general store, a fishing boat, and an RV camper, for a morning of breakfast and fun. Our kids dove right in and left no feature unused. The fishing boat was a big hit, as well as the cabins, which had plenty of stuffed animal tenants.

As the kids played, our members were able to learn more about WaterWipes and try them out.

“After a catastrophe, WaterWipes easily handled my toddler’s sticky hands and face,” said Anton, the father of a newly turned 3-year-old, who found that WaterWipes, being just 99.9% water with a drop of fruit extract, are more than capable of handling tough messes.

Other dads present liked the premise of the moist towelettes being “The World’s Purest Baby Wipes” and expressed approval at WaterWipes being awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance.

“The water and fruit extract formula fits perfectly with our family’s preference for natural products,” said Paul, father of a 2-year-old boy.

Given this positive reaction to WaterWipes’ pure and gentle nature when it comes to the delicate matter of a newborn’s skin, we asked our dads for some suggested “off-label” uses for the product. Here’s some of their ideas:

• Little freshening up for my pits. It’s Texas, OK?
• Late nights and zero time for baths, bring out those Water Wipes!
• First aid cleanup
• Multitask like a boss: clean the inside of your car while the tot finishes a car nap
• Need to cool down on a hot day? Keep a pack in the cooler
• Sprucing up dirty sunglasses
• Buff up those shoes
• Wiping down the tabletop at your favorite fast-food joint
• Post sandbox wipedown
• Facial hair cleanup after a good dinner of baby back ribs
• Clean that deodorant stain off your favorite black T-shirt.
• No showers on a camping trip
• Take household chores to the next level and let the kids wipe down the floor with them.
• Cleaning bird poop off the swing at the park
• Wearing flip flops or going outside barefooted? Give your tootsies a good wipe down after a dirty summer day

At the end of the event, there were mostly smiles for a great time had, except for a few kids who wished they could stay longer. Our members were each given a gift bag with a premium diaper changing pad and some WaterWipes product to try at home.

If you’d like to try WaterWipes, they are available at many major online and in-store retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.WaterWipes.com/us.

Note: Mat York of That Dad Mat contributed to this blog post.

Much like the term “parentpreneur,” the book The More You Hustle, the Luckier You Get by James Oliver Jr. can be thought of as the joining of two themes.  James’ story about his life and family, although far from over, could be a book unto itself.  Likewise, the knowledge he shares about what he’s learned creating and developing his company, WeMontage, could also be a book unto itself.  But when combined, the sum of the two is much greater than the parts, and this is the primary reason that The More You Hustle, the Luckier You Get works so well.

Right out of the gate, James defines the word “parentpreneur” as he sees it fitting his concept:

“Being a parent is one thing. Being an entrepreneur is another. And being a parent-entrepreneur, or Parentpreneur, is a tertium quid”, he writes.  He then goes on to define tertium quid for those like me who aren’t familiar with the term:

“Tertium quid = A third thing that is indefinite and undefined but is related to two definite or known things.”

From there, he tells the story of how his life as a parentpreneur developed, telling the birth stories of both his twins and his business.  Both came with many challenges and forced James to be able to multi-task to manage everything.  It’s very fitting that the cover of the book portrays him with seven arms that are taking care of both business and parenting tasks.  While he only has two arms, his story makes it seem like he has and needs all seven of them.

On the entrepreneur side, one thing that comes across crystal clear is the real and compelling struggle of someone trying to start a new endeavor from scratch.  You may have heard advertisements and pitches (usually for things like flipping houses or joining a multilevel marketing network) that tote all of the positives of starting up a new business, but leave out the struggles and growing pains involved.  Not so in “The More You Hustle, the Luckier You Get”.  Early in the book, James states that 80% of new businesses fail within the first 18 months.  While he insists on having a positive outlook and can-do attitude as being essential, he’s not blind to the fact that being a new entrepreneur is extremely challenging and there are many ways to fail along the way.  These are highlighted in the book, to exemplify some of the pitfalls that he ran into, and how he overcame them.

On the parent side, despite how much he wants to be a successful entrepreneur, James never loses sight that being a dad is ultimately the most important thing he will be.  He states the inspiration for staying the course is not for his own success, but rather for the example he will be setting for his children.  When circumstances led to him being a stay-at-home parent, he got over the initial thought that he was a failure, and instead “realized the twins were only going to be this age once, and it could be a really special bonding experience for the kiddos and me; so I decided to focus on that, and not feel like a failure.”  He discusses how he balances parenting and work tasks, and ends up having time for both.  if you follow James on social media (which you should), you’ll be treated to some adorable pictures and videos of his kids as he spends his days as an at-home parent.  He clearly is able to put work aside when needed, and explains how in the book.

Those trying to achieve success with their own business will find some tips in response to things that James has experienced.  Whether it be dealing with demanding customers, making pitches, or discussing how Groupon almost killed WeMontage, a small business owner will certainly learn some things from James.  Having successfully navigated both the tough streets of Brooklyn and the demanding classrooms of Morehouse and the University of North Carolina, James has and shares both practical and educational smarts to pull from in order to solve problems.  In addition to the practical tips, James sets a mindset for how he defines his own success, and how others can similarly define theirs.  His message is ultimately one of inspiration and hope.  That’s why it’s no surprise that the last chapter of the book is called “Faith, Hope, and Love”.  It’s with those three things that James believes you can be a successful parentpreneur.

For more information and to buy the book, check out www.themoreyouhustle.com

Housed in an industrial building that looks ordinary from the outside is the not at all ordinary Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco.  The museum has both full-time features and seasonal exhibits that rotate every few months.  Parking is free, and the cost is very reasonable at $8 for those 3-64, with discounts for seniors, teachers, and military personnel.  Family memberships are also available.

On Saturday February 4th, seven dads from Dallas Dads Group took our kids to spend about two hours at Sci-Tech learning and playing.

It’s a Nano World!

The special feature exhibit on display was “It’s a Nano World!”, a hands-on collection of educational stations to expose kids to small scale science. With a magnification station, a cell sorter activity, and a blood drop ball pit, the microscopic becomes visible.  The kids loved seeing the textures and fibers of typical items magnified, and of course the ball pit was a big hit.  Other rotating exhibits the museum has had in the recently include one exploring how castles were constructed, and another that taught about the water cycle and the importance of conservation.

Permanent Features:

The permanent features include several building exhibits, large bubble trays, and some wooden ramps with golf balls. This area held our kids attention well, and gave them a chance be active together.  Our group particularly loved the large blue foam blocks. “We’re the master builders!” exclaimed Larry, age 7, as he and several other of the kids worked together to build a fort.

Sci-Tech at a glance: Why we like it:

1. Location. Sci-Tech is just off the Dallas North Tollway at the Cotton Gin Rd/Main street exit. There’s no downtown Dallas traffic to beat, and parking is easy and free.

2. Not too big, not too small.  The museum is all on one floor with three main sections. Our kids were able to move around freely without worry.  Our group spent about two hours there, which seemed just right for the ages of the kids we had.

3. There’s something for everyone. The youngest kids in our group were too young to take in the scientific lessons that went along with the exhibits, but they were still able to play and have fun. The older kids in our group got to learn while they played.

4. The mix of temporary and permanent features works well. The rotating exhibits keep it fresh and give kids something new to check out, while the permanent ones give them some predictable things they can expect every time.

5. We didn’t utilize these on our visit, but the facility offers spring break camps, birthday parties, preschool story times, and sometimes has a staff member leading science and art activities.

Note: Members of Dallas Dads Group received complimentary admission to the Sci-Tech Discovery center on February 4th, 2017.  The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and members of the group who expressed their thoughts. 

The week of September 19th is Child Passenger Safety Week.  If you’re like me, you’re thinking that it seems like there’s a day, week, or month for just about everything under the sun these days.  I don’t blame you, but this one is really important.  Research shows that over 70% of car seats are not being used in cars properly.  OVER. SEVENTY. PERCENT.  That failure rate may be okay for a non-all star baseball player’s batting average, but not our kids safety.

Why do people spend hours reading reviews about what the safest car seat is, and then spend several hundred dollars on it, but don’t take the time to ensure it’s installed properly?  Why do people diligently child-proof their home, but neglect their car?  When you think about it, it doesn’t make sense, but yet it’s reality.  And even when you do pay attention to child passenger safety, some things can be confusing or counter-intuitive.

So what are we doing about it? Several things, actually.

1) We’re teaming with a local non-profit agency, Family Compass, to help promote their FREE carseat checkup event on Saturday the 24th.  This is by appointment, and is a great way to have a Child Passenger Safety Technician make sure your family isn’t among the 70% doing it wrong.  More information about that is available by clicking here.

2) We’re teaming with Britax to help promote their message of the importance of child safety next week.  On Monday Sept 19th at 11:30 CT on the City Dads Group Facebook page, we will be hosting a live video chat from Britax headquarters.  During this event, you’ll learn from Britax’s safety experts, have a chance to win a carseat, and for each comment posted Britax will add $25 to their carseat donation to the Good+ Foundation.  Be sure to like the City Dads Group page and elect to receive notifications, and you will get notified when the live event begins.

3) Something else.  Stay tuned.  We’ll make a big announcement soon for a Dallas Dads Group and Britax collaboration.

**Disclosure Note: City Dads Group will receive compensation for the live Britax event. We limit our sponsored collaborations to relevant partners that offer products and services we believe in. **

I’m trying something new for today’s post…colliding my day job as a clinical social worker with my involvement with Dallas Dads Group.  After a chat with a colleague last week, I realized that this concept is one that could be helpful for dads as we navigate parenthood, especially with our kids going back to school.

The concept comes from Chapter 1 of the book NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.  It’s an excellent book for any parent.  Each chapter tackles an issue that is bound to come up for most of us.  Chapter 1 is entitled “The Inverse Power of Praise”.  As parents, we are inclined to try to boost our kids’ self esteem and help them feel good about themselves.  The problem is, we need to be mindful of what exactly we say and what the impact will be.

The research discussed in this chapter comes from Dr. Carol Dweck, who developed a project to study how kids respond to praise.  She took students individually and administered a simple test for which she knew they would do well.  After each child finished the test, they were given one single line of praise.  Some of the children were told “You must be really smart at this” and the others were told “You must have worked really hard.”

Each child was then told they could choose their second test.  They were told one choice would be harder but they would learn a lot by trying it, or they could take another easy one.  Of the kids who were praised for working hard, 90 percent chose to give the harder test a try.  Of the kids who were told they were smart, the majority chose to take the other easy one.  It seems the kids who were told they were smart felt they needed to live up to that praise by ensuring another success.  They didn’t want to take the risk of trying the hard one and failing.  In contrast, the kids who were told they worked hard were up for the challenge.

Dr. Dweck then gave all the kids a much harder test for their age.  All of the kids had difficulty.  However, the ones who were told they were hard workers lived up to that praise by giving it their all.  They also indicated they enjoyed the challenge.  The ones who were told they were smart indicated they were defeated and discouraged.  Lastly, she gave a final test as easy as the first.  The kids who were praised for working hard did 30% better on this final test, and the kids who were told they were smart did 20% worse.

If you’ve read this far, you probably get the point.  Essentially, this comes down to praise for being, as opposed to praise for doing.  When you praise a child for being, you’re locking them into something that they then need to continue to live up to.  Any indication they can’t do so will cause distress.  (As a side note, this is also why telling girls they are beautiful can be problematic).  When you praise them for doing, you’re recognizing something they had a choice in: how much effort they gave.  They can replicate effort no matter what the task is, and most likely they will be more successful as well.  This same concept can be applied to other tasks, such as sports, art, and music.

Editor’s Note: This post has been edited to reflect the new reduced price of just 39.98 for Pogo Pass.  They have also added three new venues, Amazing Jakes, the Texas Legends basketball team, and North Texas Outdoor Pursuit Center (Rock climbing!). 

Note: Dallas Dads Group is an affiliate of Pogo Pass and received three complimentary passes in order to test the program and ensure it works how it is advertised.  The opinions expressed here are my own. 

When you organize a dads group, you get people reaching out to you to try and get you to hawk stuff to your members.  We’ve gotten approached by folks selling everything from potty training devices to photography sessions.  We look into each opportunity, but in the end, if it’s not something unique that could truly be a great value to our members, we politely decline.  So, when we were cold-contacted by a company called Pogo Pass, I was cautious as usual, until I learned the deal.  Then, I was all in.  Here’s why…

Pogo Pass is a company that brings value to families by providing access to over a dozen family-oriented attractions for a single price per year.  Instead of paying for tickets and entry fees at each venue, you just show your pass and gain admission without further cost. The retail price is $99.95 but via our affiliate program you can save 60% and get each pass for $39.98 by using our promo code, CityDadsDallas.  Members of Dallas Dads Group should contact us for information about additional savings.

You can see everything you get with the pass by clicking here.  Your pass will be valid for an entire calendar year, starting from the date you purchase it.  Summer is ending soon, but if you buy it now, you’ll be able to hit some of the summer attractions in 2017.  Occasionally new venues get added.

Big Savings!

Of course, I wasn’t going to put this out there to you all without trying it myself.  My conclusion…It pays off, plain and simple.  Consider that each pass can be bought for $39.98.  One of the deals is access to two Frisco Roughriders games per year with each pass.  I signed up for two recent games and was expecting them to give us the cheap general admission tickets where you have to sit on the grass in the outfield.  WRONG.  For both games, we were given the most expensive tickets, face value $20.56 each.  So, each pass costs $39.98 and you get admission to two Riders Games for each pass you buy (a value of $41.12).  Immediately, the pass has paid for itself.

I then visited Hawaiian Falls in Garland with my family.  Regular prices are $28.99 for adults and 20.99 for kids.  With the Pogo Pass, we got in without paying anything extra.  With two baseball games and one water park visit, I’ve already received $70.11 in value for my pass and my wife’s pass, and $62.11 for my son’s (his water park admission would have been a little cheaper).  As you can see, the value I already got was well over the $39.98 cost of the pass, and I had not even scratched the surface of what Pogo Pass offers for a year.

Just a few of the other venues I tried:

Dallas Dads Group meets up often at Kid Mania.  It’s a great place to go, especially when it’s too hot or too cold to be outside.  Adults only cost a dollar, but kids are $6 and at our recent meet up I got my son in free.  For guys in our group, we will continue to meet up here, so you’ll have a reason to come out.  You get two visits per year at Kid Mania.

Urban Air is a huge indoor trampoline park.  An hour of jump time regularly costs $12.99, but with Pogo Pass you get two admissions per year.  There are several locations in the DFW area.  Earlier in the year we visited the Garland one, and I just visited the Frisco one this Monday with my son.  The Garland Urban Air location did not have their computers set up to accept the pass, but they still let us go for free.

One of the great things about the Pogo Pass is combining the attractions that are close to each other to make a day of great family fun.  My son is starting Kindergarten next week, so I made it a point to take a day off from work on Monday and keep him home from his summer camp so we could have a great father/son day of fun.  We hit the Frisco Urban Air in the morning, then went to his favorite restaurant for lunch, and then headed over to Frisco’s Sci-Tech Discovery Center afterwards.  If we had paid, that day would have cost $42 for two of us for the two attractions.  We’ve far surpassed the $39.98 cost of the pass by visiting other attractions, so it felt like a free day in which the only thing I had to pay for was lunch.

I never got myself into organizing events for Dallas Dads Group for any kind of payoff.  Had we wanted to, we could have accepted many of the other offers we’ve received to hawk you guys diaper bags, parenting coaching sessions, expensive deals with a negligible “discount”, as well as those potty training devices.  We’re only going forward with Pogo Pass because we truly believe in the way it saves families money, and I’ve experienced this firsthand myself.  You are welcome to contact us to learn more before you go forward with a purchase.

This month marks the five year anniversary of tragic event that still stays with me; the death of Shannon Stone.  When it happened, I was new to Texas and new to fatherhood.  I didn’t know him at all.  The only things I knew about him were what the media reported.  He was a veteran firefighter and a loving husband and father.  He and I had two things in common, though, apparently.  We both loved baseball and we both loved fatherhood, and as a new dad hearing the story, it got to me.

I know that tragedy strikes every day, and that every day children lose fathers to terrible situations such as war, car accidents, heart attacks, violence, etc.  It’s all terrible.  However, there’s something so inherently backward about a kid losing his father because his father tried to catch a baseball for him at a baseball game.  I felt bad for him, as in his last moments he seemed to know he was seriously injured and told those around him to “please check on my son.”  I felt bad for his son, who had to witness the entire thing.  I felt bad for his wife, family, friends, and coworkers.  I felt bad for Josh Hamilton, who meant to bring Shannon and his son joy by throwing them the ball, and instead has to live with his unintentional role in the tragedy.

When it was announced that the Rangers planned to build a statue dedicated to Shannon and Cooper Stone, my first reaction was an uneasy feeling.  However, when I learned how much the family seemed to support the idea, it had my support too. When the statue was done, I saw pictures of it and decided that I wanted to take a picture of my son and I at the statue the next time we are at a game.  We got that opportunity the following season. We were definitely not the only father/child duo to take this picture either.

As with all of these tragedies, the takeaways are similar.  We never know when it’s our time, so we must make the most of the time we have.  And as fathers, we are infinitely privileged to have the role we do with our kids.  This is yet another example of why we must never take this for granted.

The concept seems simple.

12 guys are going for a walk.  Their names are Phil Corless, Jim Higley, Whit Honea, Brent Almond, Chris Routly, Michael Moebes, Jeff Bogle, Jason Greene, Michael Wing, Josh Misner, Doug French, and John Pacini.

However, this isn’t just any walk.  First, they flew to London.  Then, they’re meeting up and walking along Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England.  That’s 84 miles, for the record.  They’ll do it over several days, of course.

You might be wondering why.

There are two reasons, but they can’t just be listed #1 and #2.  Well, maybe they can.  The two reasons are Camp Kesem and Oren.  These two reasons are intertwined and I’ll need to give you some pieces before I put the puzzle together.

Cancer is a horrible disease.  They say we all know someone affected by cancer.  I don’t know if that’s actually true, however for me, it is.  My maternal grandfather died of prostate cancer.  As terrible as his last few years were, though, he still got to know his grandchildren into our adulthood.  Others don’t get that chance.  Oren was one of those who didn’t.  He died at age 42.  His son was 7 and his daughter was 4.

Oren Miller was a champion of fatherhood.  As a father, he was patient, thoughtful, caring, and many other things.  As a blogger, he advocated for fatherhood.  He combated the “bumbling dad” image with one he and others felt was more accurate: the strong, caring, involved dad. He also created a group for other dad bloggers, knowing that if we were unified we would have a stronger, more consistent voice. He knew we would support each other, both with our blogs and parenting challenges.  The result is a community over 1,000 guys strong.  If you’re a member of a City Dads Group, you most likely know at least one of us.

Camp Kesem isn’t just one camp.  They run camps all over the country for kids affected by a parent’s cancer.  They do this in 80 cities.  In 2016 they will serve over 6,000 kids.  They don’t just follow the regular camp model of running some sports, nature, swimming and arts and crafts activities.  They have all of that, but more than anything they create something special that these kids can’t get anywhere else.  Kids come as individuals who have a parent fighting cancer, and they leave as part of a community.  With understanding.  With belonging.   Oh, and by the way, this one-of-a-kind camp experience is FREE to the families.

So with that, here’s the full picture:

12 guys are going for a walk.  They are all connected because of Oren.  They are walking as a fundraiser.  Oren’s alma mater is the University of Maryland. Camp Kesem uses college campuses as their venues.   The funds they are raising will support the opening of Camp Kesem at the University of Maryland Honoring Oren Miller.

If you read this post the week we publish it, the guys will be doing the walk as you read.  Their mission is to raise $40,000 so that the camp in Maryland can become a reality.  All of us in the City Dads Group family are asking for your help so that this actually happens.  We want it to happen so the guys doing the walk will feel like they were successful.  We want it to happen because Oren was too special a person to *not* have his name on this camp.  But most of all, we want it to happen because there are kids and families out there that need this.

If you are so inclined, click here to go to the donation page, and make a donation of any amount.