All in Family

The Stress Reliever: Kids

Don Martelli
EoTBlog, Family, Work-Life

Flickr: programwitch

Originally posted over at Every Other Thursday

Those that know me will tell you that I rarely stress over anything and live by a saying of, “you can control only what you can control.” To me it’s really that simple.

As a parent, you’ll eventually experience a severe breakdown by one of your kids. For the most part, these breakdowns are caused by a number of things. One could be that they are extremely tired. A second reason could be their eagerness to get a new toy, which you promptly gave the Heisman to.

I liken these break downs to the days where nothing goes right and you’re a hair line away from snapping. You know what I’m talking about. You day goes like this:

Using technology to preserve family memories

Don Martelli
Family, Technology

My youngest daughter, Jordan, playing on the "apple 'puter"Being a social media geek has afforded me the pleasure of meeting and interacting with a ton of smart people. Most of the folks I have come across are similar to me. They are dads, going along their business to make a buck for the family and enjoying every second of it. 

CC Chapman is one such dad that I've friended via Twitter, Facebook, etc. Check out his blog post about Grandfathers and Grandsons. The post includes a video and even if you don't know CC or his family, you will appreciate the video especially if you are family oriented person and especially if you are a dad. 

Hanging out with parents

Don Martelli
Family

When you're younger, hanging out with your parents is never a cool thing. There comes a time, mostly during the teenage years, that you want to hang out with your friends and just "chill." The thought of hanging out with your parents can be sorta drab and dull. Now that I have kids of my own, there's been a shift in that thinking. 

I have young parents, still in their early 50s. Hanging out with them, whether it be BBQs, holidays or just random get togethers, is always a treat. Here's why:

Father's Day is the Superbowl of Life

Don Martelli
Family

Every year, as most dads who blog do, I post something about how wonderful it is to be a dad. It's the greatest accomplishment in my life and always will be. When I open the garage door and my five and two year olds greet me at the top of the stairs, it is by FAR the best part of my day, every day. Daddy comes home as the hero.

On Father's Day, that feeling is amplified. That's why I call Father's Day the Super Bowl of Life. It's the one day out of the year that the spotlight is on you for all your hard work as the provider for the family. It's a massive responsibility and one that every father (whether you are married, together with kids but not married or just a father) should take 100% seriously. Sometimes you feel the weight on your shoulders. Sometimes you wonder if your raising your kids the right way. Sometimes you ask yourself, "am I doing all I can for my family?"

Well, when I get home and see the kids at the top of the stairs screaming, "DAAAAAADDDDYYYYY," I say yes. I'm doing just fine, thank you.

I could go on and on about the responsibility of being a father. But it is probably best said by a poem that my daughter brought home from pre-school a week ago, called "Footsteps":