dad | Heartstone Journey

3 Ways To Break Free Of The Homer Simpson Syndrome

Turn on the television, head out to the movies or browse social media and one of the major themes is that men are witless, pointless or mere playthings to be stepped on by the entire family. Like infomercials, men are endlessly lampooned and are shown as absent or feckless fathers.

Is all fair with dads on the family front? Does culture have a blind spot when it comes to the role of men in families? Would much of the jokes aimed at fathers be banned if they were aimed at women, ethnic minorities or religious groups? Most of the men I know are devoted, hardworking and would do anything for their families. Even give up their lives to save them.

There was a time in culture when men were always the authority figure and the head of the tribe. In comparison, today’s culture is polar opposite where men are demonized and sidelined way too much. We all heard the “who wears the pants in the family” jokes but leadership in the home is no laughing matter. During the last few decades our culture has redefined the meaning and responsibilities of men and women in society and in the home. Many men have become emasculated, confused and insecure. With this new narrative taking a firm grip on society, men don’t know how to step up and lead the home anymore. Growing up, most men lacked a good role model for leadership at home and don’t have a clue of what it means to lead a family. The result, they do not lead effectively or they do not even try.

Sadly many men have become passive or lunk heads in the home. They’ve decided that the easiest thing to do is nothing and that’s exactly what they do! The simplest thing with the smallest risk is to straddle the fence and let the wife do all the heavy lifting. When a man is married to a strong wife who takes over, he often lets her do just that…take over. Come on guys!

What are we telling young boys if the examples of fatherhood they see everyday are parodies of incompetence?

8 Tips On “How To Dad” From A Cheerios Commercial

Attended a CIO conference recently and one of the keynote speakers used the Peanut Butter Cheerios #HowToDad commercial to highlight leadership. Honestly, I’ve never tried Peanut Butter Cheerios but can totally appreciate how awesome this commercial is. Not in highlighting a product but how awesome dads are and that they do matter in today’s society despite a major de-emphasis on the role.

Here’s a bit of the background story of the commercial from the creators website.

Created by Tribal Worldwide Toronto, the socially-driven campaign features an upbeat online video that celebrates the insight that dads parent differently, and places Peanut Butter Cheerios at the heart of all the zany, funny and epic situations that kids get themselves into under dad’s watch. The video then drives viewers to HowToDad.ca for bite-sized sharable content that resonates with dads. Four 15-second preroll spots, widespread display advertising and targeted promoted social posts round out the program, which is all unified under the #HowToDad tagline. “It just made sense to declare Peanut Butter Cheerios as ‘The Official Cereal of Dadhood,’ because like great dads, Peanut Butter Cheerios lie somewhere in the intersection of awesome and responsible,” says Josh Stein, creative director, Tribal Worldwide – Toronto. “Dads are awesome and it’s awesome to be a dad. The new campaign creatively acknowledges that today, dads play a significant role in raising children, and celebrate their contribution.ⁱ

At Heartstone Journey, we know more and more dads are stepping up and experiencing the satisfaction and reward of taking a more active role in the lives of our kids…and dads should be celebrated! I love this commercial because if really does a great job at portraying the reality of life of a dad and family. I also want to give a huge shout out to Tribal Worldwide because they didn’t pick the idiot dad stereotype or the passive dad routine to be “funny”…they picked an authentic dad!

This commercial shows the simple ways dads are awesome and is a reminder that dads do matter and they have an impact on the relationships with their kids. Before reading on, click play, watch the commercial and you’ll see why the campaign is awesome.

Every Young Woman’s Battle

As parents we all face that moment where we should have the conversation about sex with our kids. Remember if you’re not having the conversation with you’re kids, someone else is and the best place for a child to learn about sexuality is at home from those who care most about them. As a single dad, the conversation with my daughter was a bit more challenging. Where to begin that conversation was the tough part. Any single dad’s out there know what I’m talking about?

Struggling how to even approach the subject, someone recommended a book to me called, “Every Young Woman’s Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World”. I read the book first and then gave a copy to my daughter to read when she started Junior High School. This article focuses on daughters, but there is a similar book for sons called, you guessed it, “Every Young Man’s Battle”.

Now, is this the silver bullet dad’s are looking for?

#011: Excellence In Fatherhood [Podcast]

Was honored to be a guest on “In It Together” with host Lori Lynn Greene (90.7 FM WLMW, Manchester, NH) for this weeks Business Beat live radio segment. Lori is the Principal Advancement Strategist at Alpha Advancement Strategies, a Board Certified Professional Life Coach, Advanced Life Coach, and Health & Wellness Coach. She is also a member in good standing with the American Association of Christian Counselors and the International Christian Coaching Association.

Join our conversation as we opened up with some of my personal story and discussing my book Heartstone. We went on to discuss the importance of men stepping up in their homes, becoming a strong father-figure and modeling excellent leadership in the household. Tune in to hear more.

https://soundcloud.com/lorilynngreene/09-11-2015-in-it-together-p3

We were not created to just survive, we were created to live courageously from our hearts!

Want more? You will find all the Heartstone Journey podcasts here.

How Becoming A Grandfather Gave Me A “Do Over”

I remember that day when I walked into the kitchen of her mom’s house and sat down across the table from my daughter. Looking into the her eyes there was an awkward silence, as she fought to stop the tears from welling up.

Not knowing what was coming next, my countenance drifted towards concern. She seemed overwhelmed with fear as her eyes were affixed on the floor. Still holding back her tears the words came…”Dad, I’m pregnant.”

Her mother sat beside me at the table as emotions broke the heavy silence. I sat there bewildered as a waterfall of thoughts rushed through my head like class 5 rapids. Half way through college and beginning her passage into adulthood…getting pregnant was not part of anyone’s five-year plan.

After a long silent pause, I collected my thoughts and shared my commitment to be there for her and the baby. I also reaffirmed to her that there was a Father in heaven who loves her unconditionally and a dad down here who does too.

On the ride home still trying to piece it all together, I reached out to my friend and mentor who gave me the comforting words I needed from Heaven’s throne. “Tim, this is part of God’s plan for your daughter’s life and He is with her. This baby will usher in the beginning of a new and joyful life for all who get to know her. As odd as this may sound, this baby is God’s lifeline to your daughter.”

Thankfully, through my good friend, my heavenly Father began to quiet my inner turmoil and the storm started to subside.

Roll the tape forward a bit…

3 Ways To Break Free Of The Homer Simpson Syndrome

8 Tips On “How To Dad” From A Cheerios Commercial

Every Young Woman’s Battle

#011: Excellence In Fatherhood [Podcast]

How Becoming A Grandfather Gave Me A “Do Over”

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