The Easy 1st Step to Becoming a Better Father

If you want to be a better parent get some Freaking Sleep!I think that this is probably the second easiest piece of advice that I can give people depending on their situations.

I know, I know. I can already hear the arguments. But Kyle, you say.

But what, I say.

I need some time for me, you say.

Do you want to do this or not, I say.

Okay. I understand the desire to stay up and watch TV, play video games, or maybe even spend quality time with your significant other. These are all great things and you should make time for them. Even TV and Video Games have their place. They are a great way for some people to unwind.

It’s best to go to bed a short time after your kids finally fall asleep at least a few times a week; or whatever time will allow you to be in bed for at least 8 hours before you need to get up or your kids get you up.

It can’t be done every night; and I get that. But if you get more sleep you’ll be able to be a more patient and more attentive parent. Hey, maybe you’ll even become one of those people who gets up earlier than their kids. Remember those people? Those people who get more done before 8 in the morning than you do between the hours of 8 and midnight.

This can be tough but I promise you if you can get 7 to 8 hours of sleep at least 3 or 4 nights a week to begin with, it will change your Freaking Life in a number of ways. With more energy (not provided by caffeine) you will be able to more easily tackle all of those things that you’ve been putting off for so long and you will be a better parent by setting a healthy example of what it means to be a grown-up.

Holy Ghostbusters!

When I think of films that I’m excited to share with my daughter, Ghostbusters is there, but it isn’t at the top. This announcement could change that.

I just learned that they have finally announced the cast for the upcoming Ghostbusters Movie! I’m super excited about the fact that it is an all girl cast that includes:

Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon.

I’m most excited about that because ever since I found out that I was having a girl I have wanted her to have a SciFi Adventure hero that would make a great Halloween costume but not be a boy character or a princess. I want my daughter to have an Indiana Jones, a Han Solo, and sure, a Ghostbuster.

Way to go Melissa McCarthy! Welcome to the Future; It’s awesome here.

Here’s a short Esquire piece about the announcement. 

Fantastic Four Teaser

Looks a little overly serious. Will I see it? Yes. Will I see it in the Theater? Eh, maybe.

Batman Begins with the Fantastic Four?

I haven’t established this yet in my blog but I am a bit of a comic book fan. That’s actually what I mean though. I buy about one or two comic books in a month and occasionally read a graphic novel.

I was raised as a Marvel fan and I’m very happy with their recent success. I wish that Marvel and Disney still had access to all of their properties. I want my Silver Surfer movie and I’m guessing that someone decided he was included with the Fantastic Four. I’m probably the only one that wants that though. Side note: I don’t want Fox to make it.

Given the gritty appearance of the trailer I would have to watch this sans kids before I let them watch it at least until their 18, right? I think that I’m the minority but it’s my belief that ‘comic book movies,’ should be made to allow a seven year old to see them. That’s my problem with Dark Knight. I liked it, until I had kids and realized that, although he’s a darker hero, Batman should be fun.

My kids are definitely too young for this one of course. I look forward to the day that I can take my oldest the see the Infinity War movie though…maybe.

I would like to see AntMan in the theater though. That looks fun!

The media for this post can be found here!

To Ninja or Not to Ninja

I am a big fan of the Ninja Turtles. The problem is that they aren’t really great role models for my kids especially since my kids are so young. I’m not planning on keeping them from watching all violent television until they’re 18; my first concern is that most of their problems are solved through combat.

I don’t personally have a problem with that, they are ninjas after all and if they had to talk it out with all of the bad guys it would be a completely different show. The current show does occasionally have the turtles dealing with doubt, self-confidence, questioning their beliefs, and understanding their relationships with each other. Most of it is still a lot of hitting though. And if you’ve seen the rat king episode or the one with the talking pizza, they can be a little creepy for younger audiences.

My wife and I have decided to allow our kids to watch the turtles from the 80’s and 90’s for now if they desire but the turtles have trouble competing with the likes of Mickey Mouse clubhouse and other modern children’s programming. This also brings up the point that there is very little educational aesthetic to the turtles in general, outside of their renaissance names.

My daughter is aware of the various incarnations of the turtles though and often requests to watch the current series or the film that was released in 2007. This is largely my fault when I had forgotten the conversation that my wife and I had or predating it.

I have to add that I am completely discounting the most recent turtle film that was released in 2014. I watched it and although it was ok, I found it wanting of a few more interesting character moments.

The new cartoon series however, is done very well. I think that it may be one of the best incarnations of the TMNT yet.

So, in closing, I think that my children will have to wait until they are a little older to enjoy the irreverent action masterpiece that is the ninja turtles.

Being Nut Free is not an Overreaction

There are a lot of reasons that I wanted to start this blog. I am mostly hoping that it will help me to be a better dad. I also want to become an advocate for my daughter who is severely allergic to a number of common foods.

In the time since my daughter was diagnosed with a nut allergy I’ve heard a lot of troubling statements. People seem to think that my wife and I are being over protective. On one occasion a waiter tried to explain to my wife that his girlfriend was a dietitian and she said that total avoidance of nuts (like the kind that was cross-contaminating their gelato) would make her allergies worse.

My only response to that kind of thinking is that the numerous trips to the ER would indicate that her allergies are about as bad as they can get. We are at a point where her health is an even greater concern.

I’ve heard that the statistics regarding deaths resulting from food allergies to be in the low hundreds annually. So that argument goes on to say that the cost to keep schools nut free is disproportionate to the threat. What those people don’t understand is that my child should have the right to attend school as any other child and in fact there are several hundred thousand ER visits every year related to food allergy exposures.

Here’s a fun fact for you!

Every 3 minutes a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency department–
that is about 200,000 emergency department visits per year, and every 6 minutes the
reaction is one of anaphylaxis. This was found here.

Here’s some more information for you:

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/health/allergies/school-peanut-allergy-safety/