Parenting as a Christian Single Dad

In my old age I have realized that my self-esteem could be better. Much of my life I look back and wish I could of done things different or been different. My self-image has been less than healthy and I know with the help of God I will get better but as I grow and change I don’t want to pass this trait along to Madalyn. Here are several, easy to implement, tips for building self-esteem among children that I have found to be helpful: 1. Be a positive father – this past year has not been very positive for me. A lot of bad things have happened but I am no longer going to let it get me down. I am working hard on being positive and sharing that with Madalyn. 2. Watch what I say – giving a child continuous encouragement is important for their self-esteem, even if they get it wrong they should be commended for their efforts. 3. Help change their inaccurate beliefs – I have a lot of experience in this area and the “belief window” as Madalyn grows I want to be there for her. I need to...

I find it fascinating that the harder I try to have a positive mental attitude the worse I am. I have a good job, yet I no longer enjoy it. Going to work seems to take more out of me and when I am there I tend to think on starting my own home business. I really enjoy working at home, reading, and learning but it doesn’t pay the bills. If anything it gets me a pizza a couple times a month. I guess it is simply a hobby at this point. Driving in my car is a hassle, a trip to the grocery store gets me cut off once, an anxious parker almost hits me going into the stall and my fast food order was wrong when I got home. I know things happen and I can roll with the punches like any other but it seems worse lately. To make matter worse I have not been handling the negative in a positive way which in turn makes me feel guilty… Some one please shoot me NOW! Okay just teasing. It is the same in my spiritual life. The more I desire to draw closer to God it seems the farther I get. Someho...

I have mentioned before that Madalyn loves to watch her DVDs and she really likes it when I sit next to her. I can only watch Little Einstein or Dora just so much, however I enjoy spending time with Madalyn no matter what we are doing and she gets a lot of pleasure out of her shows. I have always wanted to read more, never been one of my strong suits, and this proved to be an awesome opportunity. Madalyn doesn’t care what I do just as long as I am sitting next to her. I am even able to interact with the show from time to time while I take a quick break. The point is I have started reading a book called “The 5 Love Languages of Children”. This book has really opened my eyes to raising Madalyn and keeping her “love tank” full. Madalyn is still young and to determine her primary love language is hard but for now it is either physical touch or quality time together. When we sit on the couch she has to be right up against me or on me, hence the physical touch. Or to her watching Little Eins...

Madalyn is a little “ham” and she is nice to let me take pictures of her. I never used to be much for the picture taking scene but that has sure changed. One of our favorite hangouts is the zoo so I have a lot of pictures of us attending. Well one day I decided to put together a collage of some of my favorite pictures. After manipulating them in my photo software I took the sheet down to Kinkos and had it laminated. It worked out great, now she has an 81/2 by 11 sheet with pictures of her and I and some of her favorite animals. She keeps it at her mom’s house so she can look at it whenever she wants. I even included a string so she can hang it on her wall.

Here is a cool website for kids that like to play games online... I am even guilty for playing them. :-) Playtime with a Purpose

Recently I have come to the conclusion that I am a “worrier”. The past year has shown me that I am powerless over almost everything in my life. Things happen for better or worse and I finally have gotten it through my thick head that worrying is not going to do me any good. From here on out it is about P.M.A. (positive mental attitude). Madalyn is the most important person in my life and my effectiveness as a dad is hindered if all I do is worry. My childhood was not perfect and I too came from a broken family, sure I have some issues but I have turned out okay and the best thing of all is I have relationship with God. If I can raise Madalyn with God in the center I know she will be okay, even with the outside influences that I have no control over.

It seems with the roller coaster of life that I often wonder; what if I had done things differently? What if I had never went down some of the paths that I did? Would things of turned out better for me or would I be missing out on something wonderful? To be honest I don’t know how things could have been but what I do know is that I am very blessed. I can sometimes get into a rut where I don’t understand why God would allow certain things to transpire. What I have come to realize is, who am I to question God? He is not punishing me or getting any joy out of seeing me hurt. The same goes when it comes to Madalyn. Sure we may experience hardship and lack understanding at times but I have come to finally realize that there is a greater purpose.

AHH! The weather is starting to warm up, the sun is feeling better and better and I got the itch to get back outside. Winter is nice but it can be limiting when wanting to get outside and have some fun, especially if you are like me and don't care for the cold. I am ready to get back to the park and watch Madalyn run and play, she is a great runner. I am going to get that little munchkin. Hooray to spring..

Recently my attention has been drawn to a website that supports fathers at different stages when it comes to parenting. Whether you are a single father, stay at home father, or just a father that wants to learn more about parenting; http://diyfather.com is a pretty cool resource. Even though they focus on parenting for fathers it is a valuable resource for both dads and moms. I recommend visiting if you have time and want to find some new, different resources to check out on being a parent. Father’s Guide to Parenting .

Where I live we experience a variety of weather. For the most part it is not bad but when you have a 3 year old I found it hard to find things to do. I might add, affordable things to do. It seems that much of the entertainment options are a waste of time and money. I found that coloring, reading, painting, and playing at home only go so far and I need more to do. I am afraid that I have created a DVD junkie. I knew I was bad but I never seen anyone, like my daughter, sit down and watch Dora or Shrek 3-4 times in a row. Please don’t scold me for even allowing such a thing to take place. I can be a softy most of the time :-) Well I found a great solution, unfortunately it is a little late in the winter season but this event is good all year long. The “Public Library”, they offer a story-time once a week for kids Madalyns age and I was impressed. The lady that read the books was great. There were puppets, counting, colors, dancing, singing, etc. It was great! The first time I...

I don't know if anyone else has this problem but Madalyn loves medicine. It is harder to tell if she is actually not feeling well or just wants me to give her a dose of medicine. Sure there are times it is obvious but she is on this kick about having a belly ache. I bought some pepto for children, ofcourse it is pink and bubble gum flavor, well she must really like it because everyday she tells me she has a belly ache. "Daddy I need some pink medicine." I know for the most part she just needs to eat her dinner or have some milk but it is constant. Even with the Tylenol, she just wants it. "Daddy I am sick." I have tried to distract her from medicine by giving her a chewable vitamin but I just can't believe how much she loves medicine. FYI, in case you are wondering I have put the medicine in the closet on a high shelf. You never know with her... she can be determined. Anyone else go through something similar?

Looking back at some recent posts I have realized that I have lost my focus. I have started using my blog as a soap box about my ex instead of my relationship with my daughter. My aplogies...