Packing. And unpacking. That’s how it felt anyway.

In the past few weeks of our post-Kindergarten, first ever school-free summer (since you need to have started school to be out of school), my daughter Clare, my wife and I spent a week vacationing at the beach and took a few other day trips to places like parks, museums and zoos. For the whole summer, it seemed, we were either getting ready to go somewhere or just getting back.

It may sound like I’m exaggerating, but you parents know that packing and preparing to go out—even for a day—can just about fill another day. You know you do.

When I was single, I’d leave the house for a day with no more than the clothes I was wearing and my wallet. What guy needed anything else? For an overnight trip, I’d drop a change of clothes and a toothbrush into a backpack. Going away for a week didn’t take much more than a bigger backpack. It made getting away a lot easier and more spontaneous. Now, with only one kid, I take more going out for a few hours than I used to take for a weekend away. Going somewhere overnight with my daughter is the equivalent of packing for a week as a single guy. And a week’s vacation with kids—that’s the equivalent of moving. I’m serious. I used to move apartments with less than we take on vacation now. I could fit all of it into the back of a van—and I didn’t need one of those cartop Big Mac-type carriers for extra stuff. Read the rest »

My daughter Clare is now in her second week of summer vacation—and, since she just finished Kindergarten, it’s her first “official” summer vacation from school. This summer is also the first time since Clare was four months old that she won’t be in daycare or at school during the days. Instead, because I’ve been a stay-at-home Dad for a few months, we’ll be spending every day—all day—of the summer together. I thought that I’d have a hard time coming up with activities for Clare and me to do, but Clare has been a helpful activity planner and has taught me a few things.

I’ll admit that I once thought I’d have more fun with a boy. With a son, I thought, I’d play baseball, watch Star Wars, race Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars, and wrestle around on the grass or floor. Of course, as any daughter’s Daddy’ll tell you, one look into a baby girl’s eyes and none of that matters. Still, once the cradling and baby games are over, what does a Dad do with a daughter. The truth is we do just about anything I imagined doing with a son and then some.

Here are just a few of the things that we’ve done in the two weeks since Kindergarten graduation: Read the rest »

All the cool Mom and Dad bloggers have posted about it. And I’m sure most of us have nodded our heads and agreed.

I’m taking about how we love to hate TV for young kids.

Go ahead. Raise your hand if the Doodlebops drive you loony. If the Wiggles make you squirm. If you’ve ever thought that Higglytown needs an anti-hero—and some common sense. I’m right there with you.

Have you ever wished that Dora would drop the backpack and map and just get lost? Do the Backyardigans and Wonder Pets make you want to stifle small animals? And how many times have you cursed yourself for muttering one of those theme songs? “What’s gonna work? Teamwork! What’s gonna work?….” Read the rest »

My daughter Clare is getting to know some of the neighborhood kids better. There’s “Boy across the street,” who’s also five, and there’s “Girl next door,” who’s six. But unfortunately for Boy, the girls have just discovered the existence of “cooties.”

When Clare’s Mom and I were both working full-time, Clare didn’t spend much awake time at home. She’d leave with me in the morning to go to daycare, and I’d pick her up after work—sometimes we’d even have to go back to the theater. Because Clare’s Mom works further away, her days were—and still are—even longer.

Since I’ve been home, Clare has afternoons after Kindergarten at home to play. And since it’s gotten warm, play means going outside. Clare has a bicycle and a scooter, and so does “Boy across the street.” Boy, who isn’t in Kindergarten yet, has been outside almost every afternoon. One day when both Clare and Boy were riding bikes or scooters on the dead-end street we live on (with me and Boy’s mother keeping watch), they struck up a conversation.

Boy said, “I can go faster than you.”

He could, literally, ride circles around Clare, who still has training wheels on her bike and is finding her balance on the scooter.

“But my bike is pink,” answered Clare.

From that, a friendship was born. Boy watches for Clare to come home from Kindergarten, gets on his bike or scooter, and waits for Clare to do the same so they can ride around looking at each other. Read the rest »

My family and I recently returned from six great days at Walt Disney World in Orlando. For my daughter Clare, it was magical. Dressed in a princess dress for dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table and another for a Princess Breakfast in Epcot’s World Showcase, Clare was with her people—dozens (if not hundreds or thousands over the course of a week) of other girls in their princess dresses too.

I know that Disney has its naysayers and critics. And there are those who don’t like the idea of letting young girls act too much like princesses. With trips to the Magic Kingdom and the collection of princess dresses and accessories that Clare has collected, you might think that we’re letting the princess thing go a little far too. But Clare is five, and magic and imagination are a big part of her world. As long as we balance it with enough reality when and where it’s needed, I don’t see a problem.

At Disney World, Clare gets to immerse herself in the wonder of being a princess. And, for a few days, her Mom and I get to step into the magic too.

Last week while we were in Florida, a terrible national tragedy occurred. Read the rest »

My daughter, Clare, is a drama queen. I should say instead, I suppose, she’s a drama princess. At five years-old, she owns about six princess dresses, nearly as many pairs of dress-up shoes, dress-up jewelry, gloves, capes, hats, crowns, tiaras, and wands. She’s also collected, either as gifts or through our Disney DVD club membership, every Disney and Barbie princess movie made—including sequels—which it seems to me we watch constantly. For Halloween and birthday party themes, nothing but princesses and Barbies have had a close shot for the past three years.

If we’re going out to dinner, her first thought is to change into a princess dress. If I ask her to change her school uniform so she can play outside after school, a princess dress usually goes on before I tell her to change again. If we’re going on vacation, she’s sure to pack at least two of what? Yes, princess dresses. If she has a friend over to play, the dress-up closet is usually the first thing opened. It seems it’s important to be properly dressed for the formal playdate in her world. Read the rest »