Useful tips and advice to make parenting easier
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Everyone’s probably got their own image of a person that they see in their head when they hear the words North and Dakotans. Maybe it’s a roughneck in the oil fields, or a farmer. Perhaps it’s Carson Wentz or Cara Mund or Lawrence Welk. For me, it is, and always will be, my Grandpa Martin Hagen. He was the personification […]
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Q: What does every dad secretly want for Father’s Day? I’ll tell you, but it’s not going to be much of a secret after I do. See, every dad is different, of course. So I’m definitely not going to bat a thousand on this one. But I’ll take a few swings and make a few […]
Q1: How do you make Mother’s Day a celebration with the children who made your wife a mom without making her do “mom” work all day by taking care of clingy kids? Q2: I think there is sometimes a lot of debate about how to celebrate that day. Should you causing a big commotion with […]
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Q: When you are working, where are your kids? Aren’t you scared that they miss you? Well, I’m not going to give you a street address, if that’s what you’re asking. I do work for a living, as do most of the parents reading right now I suspect. As does my wife, Annette (she’s sweet), […]
Q: How do I teach a five-year-old boy to not throw an unholy fit every time he loses because he’s “bad at everything and never can do it and it’s the baddest day in the whole world and my worst nightmare!!!”? I don’t know how qualified I am to answer this particular question, since I’m […]
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Q: How do I get the “Baby Shark” song out of my head? Should I really be letting my kids listen to it so much? First question, you don’t. I’ve tried. My first impulse was to take a ballpeen hammer to my forehead until I forgot what songs were, but I’m told that sort of […]
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Q: What’s a good New Year’s resolution for me to have as a dad? Oh, hey. Happy New Year, everyone! Now, do you want one really good resolution or a Top Ten list of pretty OK ones? Let’s go with the latter. From the Ask A Dad Inc. home offices in Omemee, N.D., your […]
Since it’s December, I thought it’d be super swell if I could randomly pick a question out of the ol’ Grab Bag o’ Ask A Dad Questions and hope that it’s holiday-related. Here goes! Q: Should I feed a baby chili? A: What? No. Never do this. Let’s try that again. Q: What can I […]
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Since this Ask A Dad column coincides with the birthday of my wife, Sweetest of Annettes (sorry, all other Annettes), I am asking her nicely to please ask me the monthly question. Take it away, sweetest of hearts! Q: Will you take out the garbage? It’s starting to stink. A: Done. That was certainly anti-climactic. […]
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Q: What are your Top 10 ways to maintain your dad bod? You want a Top Ten List? Alright, this one is fresh from our home office in Wahoo, Nebraska. Top Ten Ways to Maintain A Dad Bod. Drumroll, please. 10. Move furniture. A lot. Wouldn’t the curio look better over by the fireplace? No? […]
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Q: What is one thing your children have taught you? That’s a good question. I’m going to stretch it out, though. I’m not paid by the word, but I am a writer and I do like using as many words as I possibly can. As a lot of people do, I split my life into […]
Q: How can dads teach compassion and empathy for others? I think it’s the most important lesson to be learned, and the earlier, the better. Oh, hey! Big question! But I’ll tell you what I know. I agree that empathy and compassion are incredibly important lessons for us to teach. Sometimes the difference between a […]
