Dad Spotlight - Helping You Be The Best Dad, Father and Parent You Can!

In this episode Don had the chance to interview Dr. Robert Zeitlin who is both an author and father of two teenagers. Dr. Robert Zeitlin spoke with Don about his new book: [amazon text=Laugh More, Yell Less: A Guide to Raising Kick Ass Kids&asin=099629290X] .

 

Laugh More, Yell Less is a parenting book with a positive message that hit shelves this spring. Dr. Robert Zeitlin’s mission is to get you to #laughmore with your kids and family, and who couldn’t use more of that, right?

Book Blurb – [amazon text=Laugh More, Yell Less: A Guide to Raising Kick Ass Kids by Dr. Robert Zeitlin&asin=099629290X]

We loved the fact that Dr. Robert Zeitlin was so down-to-earth in his approach and you can tell that he really knows and relates to the concerns and challenges that all of us as parents go through.

This book really takes the experiences that he has had over the past (almost) 20 years, and puts everything in perspective. The book definitely has some great tips and tricks as well as relatable stories that will help you be a better parent.

About Dr. Robert Zeitlin

Dr. Robert Zeitlin has dedicated the last 20 years to raising his kids, helping the children under his care, and working with parents to raise the children that the future needs. With his wife Betsy, Robert has raised two amazing teens who are kicking ass and taking names. Working in schools, with parents in his community, and through his clinical practice, Robert has maximized his background in Clinical Psychology to create family and school cultures that produce courageous leaders and communicators.

Learn more at www.drrobertzeitlin.com

In this episode we also talked about summer movies in our Movies & Entertainment Installment with Creed Anthony from Balcony Dads and Tales from the Poop Deck. While the interview was a little dated, we still wanted to share it, as there were so many great movies that recently came out, including Ant Man, Inside-Out, Minions, Jurassic World among others. There are also some other great movies still coming out before the summer ends. YOu can learn about all of the current and upcoming movies from our friends at Fandango!

As always, please swing by to visit us on ITUNES and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on ITUNES and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

Finally, Dr. Robert Zeitlin generously is giving away two signed copies of his book. All you have to do is enter below!

Laugh More, Yell Less: A Guide to Raising Kick Ass Kids Signed Book Giveaway

This week we spoke with Dr. Azmaira Maker about divorce and kids as well as well as Kickstarter Toy campaigns with Drew Bennett from benspark.com.

Approximately 40 to 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce, likely affecting over 1.5 million children each year.  As many parents of divorce and professionals working with children of divorce know, the changes in parental dynamics and living situation can have negative short and long-term effects on children.

Understanding this we decided to talk with clinical psychologist and first-time author Azmaira Maker, Ph.D. who wrote the beautifully a great book, [amazon text=Family Changes: Explaining Divorce to Children&asin=099619410X].  In this book, Dr. Azmaira Maker teaches parents and other influential adults in a child’s life—such as teachers, grandparents, and therapists—how to best explain this emotional and confusing experience to young children.

Written with kids aged four through eight, [amazon text=Family Changes&asin=099619410X] features a colorful cast of fuzzy characters, including a young bunny protagonist named Zoey, who walks us through shifting family dynamics and her related feelings and thoughts. Taking readers through Zoey’s emotional journey, this touching story helps young children better identify, process, and understand their own feelings, concerns, and questions about divorce.

This book has a ton of resources for kids and parents alike.

 

In our conversation with Dr. Azmaira Maker, she spent a lot of time providing amazing resources for each and every one of you. It was a pleasure speaking with her about this book and about what she is doing to help her own patients, but also any family that is being affected by divorce.

 

Some Resources For Our Listeners:

* Aspiring Families

* Dr. Azmaira Maker

 

 

We also have Andrew Bennett from Benspark.com back to talk with us in our recurring toy segment about Kickstarter campaigns and finding toys that you typically might not have know about in the past.

Versa Bricks

* Practical Applications for Versa Bricks

I Am Elemental

*  Forget Power from Without, These Action Figures Explore Power from Within

Modibot

* Kickstart Your Toy Box

In this episode we had the pleasure of interviewing Brent Almond of DesignerDaddy.com and talking to Mike Vrobel about Family Dinners for Busy Weeknights. 

Things have been changing so much lately, with things like the New Horizons Space probe making it Pluto this week and the recent Supreme Court decision on Gay marriage coming out. Our world is changing and we are all a part of it!

We were very interested in speaking with Brent Almond about the recent supreme court decision on Gay Marriage. As a gay dad of a soon to be kindergartner,  we wanted to hear his perspective on this and have him share his thoughts on what this decision means for parents like himself, but also for the nation as a whole. We also spent some time talking to him about some of the great things that he is doing as a father, writer and singer!

 

Brent Almond has written some great posts recently on being a gay dad that we both loved and wanted to share with you. Here are some examples of the posts that he has written!

A Thank You Note to Straight People

Sharing History: A Gay Dad & His Son Take a Field Trip to SCOTUS

28 Reasons Being Legally Married Gay Dads Is Awesome!

Designer Daddy’s Top 14 Blog Posts of 2014

 

Brent Almond is also a phenomenal artist and has shared his talents with his son through the Super Lunch Notes that he has created and shared with him. Recently he received a lot of national attention on these notes and was even spotlighted on ABC News!

ABC US News | World News

You can read more about this experience in the post that he wrote: Super Lunch Notes Fly Across the Internet and Around the World

We talked to Brent Almond about his burgeoning Broadway career as a member of The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC and below you will get a good insight into his singing ability!

 

Brent Almond also won the PopWars Life of Dad Network contest for his recent video entitled:

#POPWARS EPISODE 6.5: THE BATTLE OF THE BAG

//

#POPWARS EPISODE 6.5: THE BATTLE OF THE BAG. It all began when I discovered someone had eaten all of the Pop Secret. I was not a happy Jedi Daddy…As the excitement builds in our house for Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens, I teamed up with Pop Secret & Life of Dad to promote the #PopWars Video Contest — where YOU can win $1000 in super galactic prizes! • Visit this site  for info, and May The Force Be With You! #sponsored[Be sure to click the HD icon in the bottom right corner of the video.]

Posted by Designer Daddy on Tuesday, June 9, 2015

You can also find Brent writing at the following locations:

* Huffington Post

In this episode, we talk with the Cowboy Philosopher Carew Papritz about his new book, the Great Baloon Launch and more as well as kick off a brand new segment on Comics with Trey Burley of DaddyMojo.net!

As mentioned we had the great opportunity to talk with Carew Papritz, Author and Father  who is better known as The Cowboy Philosopher by many news agencies. We were happy to speak with him today about his new book entitled: [amazon text=The Legacy Letters: His Wife, His Children, His Final Gift&asin=0985708875]

Read A Segment From The Book

Now, he races against time—

In the solitude of a mountain cabin.

In a faraway mountain range.

Trying to finish…

For his children—

His captivating stories and memories,

turned into practical, moral and spiritual instructions,

now their “guidebook to life.“

For his wife—

his intimate words of great love and deep regret,

now his journey of redemption,

now her passage to forgiveness.

Ultimately, he gives his final gift

to her, to them,

and now,

to us all.

More about the book can be found on The Legacy Letters Website.

Also, from June 21-September 5, Carew Papritz is doing something very unique and that is coordinating and promoting The Great Legacy Letters Balloon Launch. This is a great event to promote his book but also raise money through charity!

If you really want to get to know Carew Papritz even more, ready this Arizona Daily Star Sunday newspaper spotlight on him!

About Carew Papritz

The Cowboy Philosopher, also known as Carew Papritz in day-to-day life, is the author of the multi-award winning book “The Legacy Letters”.  This best-selling author left his career as a filmmaker in Hollywood, and returning to his ranching roots, worked as a cowboy on a cattle ranch in th.e Southwest where he began writing the book.  He is now known as the “Cowboy Philosopher” and his new book, “The Legacy Letters” recently gained notoriety in the press for being the only book in publishing history to win awards for both fiction and non-fiction categories.  A Renaissance man in an age that lauds the specialist, The Huffington Post says Papritz “intrigues and enlightens charms and catalyzes change for every reader.”

Don and Chris are also both BIG Comic fans, so we were very excited to start a new segment with Trey Burley today! As mentioned, Trey writes over at DaddyMojo.net and also is in the midst of starting a brand new podcast all about Comics that should be coming out in the near future.

We loved having Trey on the show, as Comic Con in SanDiego, CA was in full force at the time of the taping and this really made us think about the family-friendly nature of these conferences. Seeing that Trey has attended some of them in the past, he shares some great tips and resources with all of you about what you can do to make the most of these events and make smart choices with your kids in attending them too.

On fathers day I even brought my own kids to a great event due to the interest of my oldest daughter in meeting one of the graphic artists / authors that was going to be there : Raina Telgemeier. The events is held annually in Ann Arbor Michigan and is called the:...

Earlier this week we shared an interview of Jessi Sanfilippo of Shuggilippo.com in Episode 7. Jessi Sanfilippo’s conversation continued with Don after we wrapped and we wanted to share this great additional content with you our loyal listeners. Not only will you get a chance to get to know Jessi more, but you also will gain some new insights into Don Jackson too!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

We also hope that you will take a moment to share their thoughts on this quick survey. The results will be used to create even more targeted shows here on the Dad Spotlight to help you be the best dad that you can be!

We are very interested to have your input on a 4 question survey about being a dad can you please take 2 minutes to fill this out!

In this episode we talked with Jessi Sanfilippo about her blog, parenting, creating memorable content, and a ton of other great topics.

We have to say thank you to Jessi Sanfilippo for being so open and honest about her life, her work and her thoughts on parenting, her blog and her life in general.

 

Some Examples of Jessi Sanfilippo’s Work:

We also talked about our thoughts on the video Jessi Sanfilippo created to talk about the Dad Bod.

 

Come back Friday for some special behind the scenes interview segments that did not make this week’s interview – you are going to love it!

 

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

Another great deal for listeners good until July 31, Cooper and Kid has offered our listeners a great deal – $10 off a Cooper & Kid Kit Subscription. So get The Cooper Kit today and start interacting with your kids in a whole new way! All you have to do is type in Spotlight to receive the discount! There are also some great other deals available if you order before fathers day!

In this episode we talked with Nicole Brady, morning anchor of KOB 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico about parenting, living in the spotlight and more.

We have to say thank you to Nicole Brady for being so open and honest about her life, her work and her thoughts on parenting.

Nicole Brady has been at KOB Eyewitness News since 2004 and has moved from evening news to morning anchor along with a number of other positions along the way. These changes definitely impacted her family life and much of this has also been in the public eye, and this is why we wanted to share her story with all of you.

 

We also talk about sharing your family history with your own kids in today’s episode. Chris has been doing a lot of research on his own family tree lately and using Ancestry.com. We talk a bit about this and how you too can start your family tree to share with your own kids and broader family.

 

Finally, we have a great Fandango giveaway going on right now. All you have to do is check out Episode 4 with Jonathan Last and you can enter to win one of four $50 gift certificates so that you and your family can go and take advantage of some of the other great movies that are coming out!

 

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

Some other great deals for listeners Until July 31, Cooper and Kid has offered our listeners a great deal – $10 off a Cooper & Kid Kit Subscription. So get The Cooper Kit today and start interacting with your kids in a whole new way! All you have to do is type in Spotlight to receive the discount! There are also some great other deals available if you order before fathers day! Also, we are giving away a Cooper & Kid Cooper Kit below – so enter today and have some fun! Cooper & Kid CooperKit Giveaway

In this episode we talked about Fandango, and some of the great add-ons that the Fandango app offers people with our new Movies & Entertainment Installment. Creed Anthony from Balcony Dads and Tales from the Poop Deck will be our recurring guest, and we love sharing his perspectives with all of you!

Creed talked to us about the Fandango program that he (and Chris) are a part of called Fandango Family and shared the benefits of joining the Fandango VIP program as well as using the Fandango App. We were amazed at all of the extra material that the Fandango App and website offers true movie lovers. If you have not visited recently, you really need to! Listen in for some great hints and tips too about keeping food warm and more!

* Fandango Movies on ITUNES

* Fandango Movies on Google Play

Thanks to Creed and Jason from Balcony Dads for joining the Dad Spotlight team and we look forward to having them on the show again soon!

 

We also had the great opportunity to talk with Jonathan Last, Author and Editor of a great new book entitled:

The Dadly Virtues: Adventures from the Worst Job You’ll Ever Love. 

 

Part instructional guide, part meditation, and part war journal, THE DADLY VIRTUES is a collection of gut-busting chapters from an all-star lineup of essayists and humorists, edited by Jonathan V. Last.   At a time when 40% of children are born out of wedlock with no father committed to raising them and when manliness – and one of its central components, fatherhood – often seems under assault in the popular culture, THE DADLY VIRTUES is a hilarious rallying cry in defense of dads everywhere.  

The book includes tongue-in-cheek encouragement and guidance through every stage of fatherhood, from pacifying babies to prepping for the senior prom, from cutting the umbilical cord to getting your first “Best-Grandpa” T-shirt.  Topics include: 

 

* P.J. O’Rourke on the uncanny similarity between fathers and turkey basters. 

* Tucker Carlson on how to fill a kid’s life with adventure and excitement – without getting her killed.

* Stephen F. Hayes on why a sibling is the best gift your kid will ever receive – even if they resent you for it.

* Jonah Goldberg on the moral case for every family having a pet.

* Matt Labash on talking to your child about the birds and the bees – and why the birds and the bees aren’t anything like they used to be.

* Matthew Continetti on mastering the art of changing a newborn’s diaper while keeping his urine off the wall.

* Toby Young on the things fathers think, but never say – and why Machiavelli is the best guide to parenting you’ll ever read.

You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. Above all, you’ll want to be a dad – and if you’re already a dad, it will make you nostalgic for the best moments of fatherhood and a little less depressed about the worst. 

About Jonathan Last

Jonathan V. Last, is a senior writer at the Weekly Standard, a Washington-based political magazine, and author of What to Expect When No One’s Expecting: America’s Coming Demographic Disaster (Encounter Books,

In today’s episode, we will introduce you to Jake Greene, creator of the YouTube series, Millennial Parents. He shared his thoughts on the series and on fatherhood, and it was great to get to know him in this episode. It was great to hear that he hopes that this series will fill what the Sunday comics did for him when he was growing up.  The series has truly covered so many parenting issues that all parents will relate to!

About Jake Greene

Jake Greene (Co-Director, Writer) has two boys under three years old. When he’s not pounding coffee or trying to keep his kids out of the street, he writes and develops television and web projects.  Jake  Greene is also an author and keynote speaker. His first book, “[amazon text=Whoa, My Boss is Naked&asin=0385523378]” was an irreverent career guide for entry-level Millennial employees. Now, as an entry-level Millennial parent, Jake Greene doesn’t have time to write silly books so he makes silly videos instead.

 

A Few Fun Episodes to Watch From the Series

Inappropriate Lullabies

Special Lingerie

 

Civilized Meals

 

The Last And

 

Single Friend Fantasy League

 

After listening today we hope that you have enjoyed meeting Jake Greene as much as we we had doing the interview!

In today’s episode, we also unveiled another new segment on toys with our resident Toy expert Drew Bennett from BenSpark.com and Dad.fm. Drew spoke with us today on some great new insights on what was unveiled at the recent E3 conference. We are so appreciative that he is joining our team and look forward to having him share his passion and love for toys with all of you.

In today’s episode, we also unveiled another new segment on toys with our resident Toy expert Drew Bennett from BenSpark.com and Dad.fm. Drew Bennett spoke with us today on some great new insights on what was unveiled at the recent E3 conference. We are so appreciative that he is joining our team and look forward to having him share his passion and love for toys with all of you.

*

* Disney Infinity 3.0

Special Offers for Our Listeners!

Today we talked to him about [amazon text=Skylanders&asin=B00JJ0ZUWA], [amazon text=Disney Infinity&asin=B00KWHJ2JQ], [amazon text=Nintendo&asin=B00S1LRX3W] and more. Below are a few links about some of the exciting news!

* LEGO Dimensions

* Skylanders Superchargers

Until July 31, Cooper and Kid has offered our listeners a great deal – $10 off a Cooper & Kid Kit Subscription. So get The Cooper Kit today and start interacting with your kids in a whole new way! All you have to do is type in spotlight to receive the discount! There are also some great other deals available if you order before fathers day!

Also, we are giving away a

In this episode we talk about sports with kids, seeing that both Don and Chris have children playing sports (actually just finishing up seasons) and speaking with a very cool father of two and author Jason Good about his new book: Rock, Meet Window, A Father Son Story as well as his other book This Is Ridiculous This Is Amazing: Parenthood in 71 Lists.

Purchase the books here –

* [amazon text=Rock, Meet Window, A Father Son Story&asin=1452129223],

* [amazon text=This Is Ridiculous This Is Amazing: Parenthood in 71 Lists&asin=1452129215].

 

Rock, Meet Window was a poignant story where Jason recounts his last days with his father as he was battling Cancer. While it sounds like a downer, it isn’t, and it really has many heartfelt moments and moments of humor too.

We both loved the book trailer that Jason created for his 71 Lists book as you will see below.

Book Trailer from jasonmgood on Vimeo.

 

You can find out more about Jason on his website.

 

Special Offers for Our Listeners!

Until July 31, Cooper and Kid has offered our listeners a great deal – $10 off a Cooper & Kid Kit Subscription. So get The Cooper Kit today and start interacting with your kids in a whole new way! All you have to do is type in spotlight to receive the discount! There are also some great other deals available if you order before fathers day!

Also, we are giving away a Cooper & Kid Cooper Kit below – so some over to Episode 2 to enter this great giveaway!

 

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!