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

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

By Chris Lewis & Don Jackson: Amazing Dads Raising Remarkable Kids | Online Parenting Experts and Fatherhood AdvocatesSociety & CulturePersonal JournalsKids & FamilyEducation for Kids
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Dad Spotlight - Helping You Be The Best Dad, Father and Parent You Can! episodes

  • Baking Like a Pro With Chris Baccus – EP 82

    Baking Like a Pro With Chris Baccus – EP 80
    In this episode of the Dads Toolbox we had the chance to bring back Chris Baccus of Sustainable Dad to spend some time with us about how you can become baking professionals!  
    Chris Baccus helped us to delve a bit deeper into how we can become better at baking items within our own homes.
    Chris Baccus started by telling us that butter if your friend in baking. The second initial tip is that typically you do need to let your butter soften before you get into baking any items.
    When it comes to baking Chris Baccus said that in baking it is the art of measuring things. You have to be a bit more precise when it comes to baking items.
    We asked Chris what were some stories of what went well and did not go well in his own baking experience. He found that due to the fact that he had a child with an egg allergy, they had to use some other types of substitutions to replace the egg. The Breakfast cookie recipe below was one that he talked about from this point in time.
    Sometimes in baking you will need to add in some additional liquids to add flavor and consistency to the recipe so that it does not taste so dry.
    A recipe that Chris Baccus mentioned as being quite easy was making Pound Cake. Also, if you want to get your kids involved in baking there are a ton of fun ways to make cookies too. Below is another great example of this that you can try with your own kids!
    Finally, on top of the other suggestions, use the best ingredients that you can as you will get a better overall product in the end!




    Apple Breakfast Cookies with Raisins | Food Faith Fitnes…
    These easy, one-bowl breakfast cookies are made with oatmeal, apples, raisins and almond butter for a healthy, vegan breakfast, perfect for busy mornings!




    3-ingredient Apple Strudel | Elephantastic Vegan
    A classic Apple Strudel veganized! Using only three Ingredients. Quick and easy to make and super delicious and soft. Traditional Austrian Dessert.



    Teddy Bear Cookies from Kids Kubby!
    http://www.kidskubby.com/teddy-bear-cookies/




    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
    33 min
  • Black Fathers In Society And Expanding Diversity Dialogues With Darren Carter – EP81

    In this episode of the Dad Spotlight we interview Darren Carter about the state of Black fathers in society today as well as the importance of providing diverse experiences for our children to allow our kids to be ready for a culturally diverse world.
    Darren Carter is founder of Darrenwcarter.com, a site focusing on Faith, Family, Fatherhood and a lot of Fun! He is also co-organizer of Cleveland Dads Group, a community of dads in Cleveland, Ohio who are active in their children’s lives and founder of All Geared Up – A Family Bike Event, an event that focuses on family time and healthy lifestyles. He’s an unconventional dad that shares his life’s journey in hopes that his errors as well as triumphs can be gleaned tidbits which can help his readers in any way possible.
    At the recently Dad 2.0 conference Darren Carter was a panelist about the state of African American fathers in society today. In this panel they looked at the issues such as education, fatherhood and more as it related to Black fathers in today’s society.
    Education was one of the largest issues that was addressed. This not only dealt with formal education but also talked about things like the learning of the past of a race. They talked about how people have to give time both in and outside of the home to help educate kids today.
    Black fatherhood was also addressed. Studies have shown that Black fathers are more actively involved in the lives of their kids, moreso than other races. The challenge is that there is a media portrayal of Black fatherhood that does not address this.
    In our interview with Darren Carter he shares that all fathers can act as social change agents to better advocate and educate kids and society to broaden the discourse about diversity.
    Darren Carter also mentioned that there is traction and there have been numerous things that could be seen as a break-through but there is still a ways to go.
    If you do not live in an area or know people different than you, Darren Carter says that you can still have conversations about diversity with your kids and open up opportunities for our kids to experience and meet people different than them. Giving your kids opportunities to step out and talk to people different from themselves will help them to be ready for the real world. While this is not a one time or a one event type of conversation or experience, you start the process and then continue this as much as you can. As Darren Carter says, the more conversations and experiences that we can collectively have the better that we all will be in the end and healing will occur.
     
    Want to learn more about Darren Carter, you can learn more about him as a father in the Dads in the Limelight series.

    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!
    46 min
  • Superhero Television Shows, Movies and More With Creed Anthony – EP80

    Superhero Television Shows, Movies and More With Creed Anthony – EP82
    In this episode of the Dads Toolbox we had the chance to bring back Creed Anthony of Balcony Dads to spend some time with us talking about super hero movies, television shows and more! 
    We spend some time talking about some of the Superhero movies that have come out recently such as [amazon text=Deadpool&asin=B01BLS9E2Y], [amazon text=Batman vs. Superman&asin=B01DEBC7Q6] and more!
    We also talked television and Creed talked a lot about where the show Scandal went. This season Creed really loved the super hero based television shows such as [amazon text=Arrow&asin=B015WVHXEC], [amazon text=The Flash&asin=B00T5D4SLU], [amazon text=Marvel Agents of Shield&asin=B00KMXQIYM], and Daredevil. One of the things that has been fun has been the tie ins that have been seen in some of these television shows that will lead into the movies that are coming out.
    We also talk a bit about [amazon text=Supergirl&asin=B01D55MPJ0] and give a little spoiler from the Batman vs. Superman movie to seeing The Flash in the movie.
    We talk a bit about the difference between what we see in the DC and Marvel television shows and films and the light versus dark connotations that at times we see between the different brands too.
    We also throw out a few additional shows to consider for your summer watching pleasure!

    * [amazon text=Suits&asin=B01BZE0ZOA]
    * [amazon text=Blindspot&asin=B01D55MPJK]
    * [amazon text=The IT Crowd&asin=B004IAG8Y0]
    * Empire

    We also just heard about the new Fandango service that will allow you to rent new movies right away called FandangoNow. While we have not yet tried this yet, it seems like an great new service that could provide you and your family some great first run movies!

    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!
    58 min
  • Joe Nieves of the Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle – EP 79

    In this episode of the Dad Spotlight we interview Joe Nieves, actor on the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle about being a father  personally but also having to play a father in such a public role of seven kids on this popular series!
    About Stuck in the Middle
    Inventor, experimenter, mediator and persuader Harley Diaz maneuvers her way through the bustle that comes with being part of her happy family of nine, from the unique vantage point of being a tween middle child, & Stuck in the Middle & a single-camera comedy series geared towards kids 6-14 and their families.
    The heartfelt and comedic stories of a big family find Harley devising creative ways to cope with – and stand out – in her family’s busy suburban Massachusetts household. Her ingenuity often wins the day for the Diaz family, even with many different personalities living under one roof.
    The Diaz parents, Suzy and Tom, also have six other kids: Rachel the somewhat self-involved eldest; Georgie, a motivational athlete; Ethan, Harley’s closest ally; invincible and indestructible twins Lewie and & Beast and the strong-willed baby of the family, Daphne.
    Starring are Jenna Ortega as Harley Diaz, Isaak Presley as Ethan Diaz, Ronni Hawk as Rachel Diaz, Kayla Maisonet as Georgie Diaz, Nicolas Bechtel as Lewie Diaz, Malachi Barton as Beast; Diaz, Ariana Greenblatt as Daphne Diaz, Cerina Vincent as Suzy Diaz, and Joe Nieves as Tom Diaz.
    Linda Videtti Figueiredo ([amazon text=Rules of Engagement&asin=B00AALZMY8] and [amazon text=Last Man Standing&asin=B00K8HAKSW]) serves as executive producer. The series was created by Alison Brown ([amazon text=Dog With A Blog&asin=B009PXLIHW]). It is from Horizon Productions, Inc., and carries a TV-G parental guideline.
    If you have never seen Stuck in the Middle before, Joe Nieves plays Tom Diaz, the father of seven on the show. The show itself is set in Massachusetts, and tells the story of the Diaz family, specifically focusing on Harley, the middle of the seven children. Harley makes her way using her abilities as a prodigy in engineering to deal with the problems of being in a large family.

    Joe Nieves told us that being a father of seven on the show he has come to a better appreciation for all that parents of large families go through. As a father of a 2.5 year old and 8 month old Joe Nieves says that what he is experiencing on Stuck in the Middle is giving him a taste of things to come in the future with his own kids.
    In the show there is an understanding that things may get missed and things will get messy but in the end everyone will get on the same page and everything will be ok if the family comes together in the end.
    We talked a bit about the chemistry that is seen on the show. Joe Nieves said that the kids on the show, right off the bat were siblings. Joe Nieves said that he cannot believe that they are not siblings. He said that they got the trifecta as it came to good acting, physical looks and chemistry. Most shows are not this lucky!
    Joe Nieves said that he had a chance to play a dad a few years ago but he really did not understand what it meant to be a father. Now that he is a father, he better understands what it means to be a father. As it came to playing an iconic tv dad he said that he plays it the best that he can and he hopes that dads can learn from him.
    When it came to role models that helped Joe Nievesbecome the father that he is today, he credits his own father, a past firefighter from New York City and a man who worked hard at all times. Outside of his family, he said that he loved the dad that John Goodman played on Rosanne.

    Joe Nieves said that being a dad is one of the best and the hardest jobs that he has had but he has loved every moment of the journey!
    35 min
  • Talking to Your Kids About Porn With Jo Langford – EP 78

    Talking to Your Kids About Porn With Jo Langford
    In this episode of the Dads Toolbox we had the chance to talk with Jo Langford of Be Heroes and author of [amazon text=Spare Me ‘The Talk’!: A Guy’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Growing Up&asin=099043060X] about the importance of talking to your kids about porn and sexuality. Jo Langford has been working as a therapist for about 20 years working with teens primarily and specializing in talking to people and kids about sexuality issues.
    We spent a lot of time today talking with Jo Langford about the importance of talking to your kids starting at a younger age about the porn that they will encounter online.
    How do you talk to your kids about porn?
    When you have a conversation with your kids about porn, first, you have to get past the idea that “I looked at porn and I was ok, what’s the big deal.” You see the word pornography means something different now than it did in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Porn is not the magazine that many of you may have had as kids with the strategically placed ice cream cones to cover private parts.
    Today, kids do not spend time on still pictures. Instead, porn today is graphic, moving and it is in HD color.
    Jo Langford mentioned that “porn does not have to be evil,” but it is “how porn is used” that can be the issue. Kids today spend more time trying to avoid porn than we spent as kids trying to find it ourselves.
    Unfortunately, all kids are exposed to porn by middle school or high school Jo Langford reports.
    For fathers of boys Jo Langford says that you need to address porn full on and have a frank and honest conversation with your son saying something like “Lets talk about this.” You need to make sure to talk to boys to make sure that porn does not taint the way they look at women, their behavior and their bodies. The reason for this is that there is a lot of body shame that comes from watching porn these days for boys.
    For fathers of girls Jo Langford says that the conversation is a bit different. With girls, Jo Langford said that you need to teach your daughters that they should not put up with the way that men may treat them. You see, a lot of heterosexual porn that kids will see online can be very misogynistic.
    Also, when kids are watching porn, Jo Langford says that they are seeing that Anal sex is par for the course and it is not hidden or a special feature as it might have been in the past. Because of this boys are coming out of seeing porn thinking Anal sex is normal and what sex is all about. Thus, dads with daughters specifically have to talk to their girls about how to counteract this assumption with boys that they will encounter as they get older.
    When we asked Jo Langford the best age to start having this conversation, he stated that having this with your kids starting at age seven or eight is best. While this may seem young it is important especially because the average age that a child will see porn for the first time is at age nine or ten.
    If you are concerned about how to start having this conversation with your seven or eight year old, Jo Langford says you should start with something like:
    Grownups are kind of weird and sometimes they do weird things like take pictures of themselves with their clothes off doing naked or sexual things. When you see that let me know about it.
    By talking to your child at a young age before they are introduced to porn it:

    * Lessens the blunt trauma of when they see this for the first time.
    * It makes other conversations about sex easier too.

    So when you are thinking about having these conversations with your kids Jo Langford suggests that you follow these pointers:

    28 min
  • Be Courageous Enough to Make Tough Choices As A Father with Tanel Jäppinen – EP77

    Be Courageous Enough to Make Tough Choices As A Father with Tanel Jäppinen – EP77
    In this episode of the Dad Spotlight we interview Tanel Jäppinen of Brand New Father about his journey into being a father and his transition into being at home with his daughter.  Tanel Jäppinen’s Brand New Father blog and podcast works to allow him to share his experiences, struggles and more with his readers.
    As his daughter was being born Tanel Jäppinen made the choice to stay home with his daughter to be more present with his daughter in her formative years. As he delved deeper into writing his blog and releasing more and more podcast episodes, he found that it was therapeutic to be able to share his thoughts and perspectives with other new fathers like himself. 
    Tanel Jäppinen said that being a stay-at-home dad was freeing, and allowed him to blaze a trail for himself and other dads. He mentioned how it was nice to not have a set notion of what you have to be or do as a husband and father, but that you can figure it out along the way. However, it could be easier and this is what Tanel Jäppinen is trying to share with other new fathers. 
    Currently, Tanel Jäppinen writes and podcasts in English but he is considering starting to write and podcast in his native language too.  He also would like to start a new started course for new fathers to help dads be engaged fathers from day one.
    Tanel Jäppinen told us that his daughter is currently 13 months old and his wife, while she works full time, while she is gone from work she will get at least 13 weeks off in Estonia for parental leave. For the first 60-90 days the parental leave is set for a mom but then after this for the remainder of the time off, the parents can decide which parent will take the remainder of the time and the pay that you receive during this time is based on the previous calendar year’s pay and its capped at about 2.5 the average national pay.
    While this may seem very generous, Estonia is very close to many of the Scandinavian countries and they have parental leave policies that are even more generous than the ones found in Estonia.
    Tanel Jäppinen talked about some of the challenges that he and his wife went through early on after the birth of their daughter and this journey led to two different podcasts on Post-partum depression that we would highly recommend that you listen to. You can find them over at Brand New Father as Episodes 57 & 58.
     

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    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...
    32 min
  • Choosing the Right Steak With Shane Vaughn of Snake River Farms- EP76

    In this episode of the Dads Toolbox we had the chance to talk with Shane Vaughn of Snake River Farms. When selecting a steak for your family Shane Vaughn of Snake River Farms shared that you have to look at the cut, clarity and color of the steak that you are considering. Shane Vaughn shares his vast experience with you about steak and more in this informative episode.
    Shane Vaughn mentioned that when you are considering different cuts you will have different experiences with the tenderness and flavor of each type of meat.
    Steaks that you want to place on a grill come in three types:

    * Filet Mignon / Tenderloin
    * Ribeye
    * Sirloin

     
    Filet Mignon / Tenderloin
    This is the most tender and is the meat with the most beefy flavor. This meat comes from the most tender part of the animal. This cut of meat is so tender that you can cut this with a butter knife or a fork if you select a good one and is not overpowering from a flavor standpoint.
     
    Ribeye
    On the other end of the spectrum you have the Ribeye that is not as tender as a filet mignon but has a stronger beefier flavor.
     
    Sirloin
    This steak offers you a medium ground between the filet mignon and the ribeye. The sirloin is not as tender as a filet and does not have as much flavor as a ribeye, but it still offers you a beefy flavor.
     
    Cooking Steak in the Kitchen
    When cooking in the kitchen and thinking about beef you can cook with there. Shane Vaughn stated that usually you are thinking about purchasing a steak that will be larger but that can be  cut up in smaller portions.  As you are looking at steak online or at your local store you will see names like Flank, Hanger, or Flat Iron as it comes to what you will want to prepare  for others and cut up and serve. Many times Shane Vaughn said you will want to marinate the steak. If you are planning to marinate your steak to bring that flavor into it Shane Vaughn says that typically you can buy a cheaper steak because through marinating the steak you are breaking down the fibers in the steak itself.
    When you are thinking about marinating steak and other beef cuts, Shane Vaughn says that depending on what your goal is with the marinade will determine how you marinate the meat. If you want to keep the beefy flavor, you will need to place the marinade onto the meat close to the time that you want to cook. If you want your meat to have a flavor that is very bold and offers more texture you will want to marinate it for at least 24 hours prior to when you want to cook.
     
    Grades of Beef
    There are three grades of beef that you will see when you are looking at beef. These include:

    * Select
    * Choice
    * Prime

    The grades of beef refer to the amount of marbling (or the amount of fat) that you will find in the beef that you are purchasing. Now marbling is not the fat that you see on the outside of the steak but instead it refers to the fat that runs in small little veins throughout the steak. It is this fat that will melt off into the meat while cooking that gives the meat its’ flavor. In general Shane Vaughn says that you want to purchase the highest grade steak for what you are trying to accomplish.
    If you are trying to just have a steak on a plate then you will want to have the best quality meat that you can to accomplish this. If you are planning to marinate the steak / meat then you can select a lesser grade quality of beef to accomplish this goal.
    The American Kobe Steaks and other
    24 min
  • Finding Clarity in Your Own Story with Jonathan Pool -EP75

    Finding Clarity in Your Own Story with Jonathan Pool -EP75
    In this episode of the Dad Spotlight we interview Jonathan Pool about the process he went through to find clarity within his own story to then be able to help others to do the same. He currently works with people on a daily basis to assist them in tapping into  and realizing their potential, and making purposeful decisions for their future. 
    Jonathan Pool first got married at 50 years of age into family, which he desired for a long time. Jonathan Pool stated that it took him that long to find the path for his life because he was misaligned in the life path that he was on. He stated that he is an engineer by training and grew up in a situation that really never taught him how to deal with conflict in life.
    He developed limiting physical pain after a few years of work that did not allow him to work in his field again. As an engineer he figured out what he could do to work within him limitations. He spent time figuring out his next path and so he stayed in engineering developing a niche (but still felt a sense of unrest).
    The wake up call for him was when someone would ask him what he did, he felt that he was apologizing for what he did. It was this that showed him that he needed to take a sabbatical from his work. When he took this sabbatical he went through a 2 day process to find clarity.
    In going through this process he was able to step back and look at his life as a whole. He basically put his life up on a wall and as he looked at this he made connections to see places in his life that help him and made him feel stuck. He had a pattern of relationships and a disdain of authority. He learned to ask a question – what is the logical outcome if we run this situation out into the future. This process allowed him to look at the patterns of his own upbringing and leave those patterns behind to be able to find the success and the happiness he was looking for. Now, he helps others to find that healthy emotional balance to harness a healthy rebelliousness and bring clarity to work and life.
    The statistics for western culture is that most talent is left untapped within people and most decisions that we make lack purposeful direction. This recognition allows Jonathan Poole to the point where he now can help others as well as being a father and a husband.

     
    When you think about finding your true self, Jonathan Pool says that he works on “uncovery” through a process of stepping back and reflecting. When he started this process he called up and invited people to come out and tell him what they saw in him. By the end of the night he had a white board full of sticky notes that offered clarity. Now he tries and helps people discover what things in their life give them purpose and meaning. He is helping people see the forest through the trees. So being able to capture your story so you can be connected to it is key to your future success.
    As a parent, the misalignment that he felt in his life impacted him. He started the rediscovery for himself at age 46 after over 20 years of working in the field. He recognized that he did not have the tools to be able to chart his own path well, nor did he invite others in to help him chart his pathway well. Now, he has a burning desire to help his kids to not feel the same as he felt.
    If you find that you are not aligned in your own life Jonathan Poole says that you can turn this around and help your kids. He states that as parents if we are invested in our kids we are going to know them really well. There is a level of familiarity that we have that even the kids themselves do not have. We also can see the gifts and passions that they have as well as how they interact with others and how all of these come together to make them who they are.
    42 min
  • Finding Complete Nutrition For Adults With Clay Nichols – EP74

    Finding Complete Nutrition For Adults With Clay Nichols
    In this episode of the Dads Toolbox we had the chance to talk with Clay Nichols of SmartyPants Vitamins about the importance of vitamins for adults today.
    Clay Nichols mentioned that most people think about gummy vitamins as something exclusive for kids but SmartyPants Vitamins doesn’t think that should be the case. As Clay Nichols put it :kids should not have all of the fun.”
    To help adults get their full nutrition for the day, SmartyPants Vitamins offers five different vitamin formulations for adults. These include:

    * SmartyPants Adult Complete Multivitamin
    * SmartyPants Adult Complete Multivitamin Plus Fiber
    * SmartyPants Mens Complete Multivitamin
    * SmartyPants Womens Complete Multivitamin
    * SmartyPants PreNatal Multivitamin

     
    Adult Complete Multivitamin
    The SmartyPants Adult Complete Multivitamin is a great safety net for all adults. It has a lot packed into a tasty gummy package. it provides you with:

    * A full multivitamin which includes a B complex, Vitamin D3 and Omega 3 Fish Oil that is from approved fish from both DHA and EPA.
    * Wrapped in a gummy package with a little cane sugar on the outside these gummies taste great!

     
    Adult Complete Multivitamin Plus Fiber
    This multivitamin offers everything that they are getting from the other complete multivitamin but provides a few additional benefits including:

    * Additional 6 grams of soluble fiber.
    * No cane sugar,but instead naturally sweetened with 3g sugar from GRAS-certified lo han fruit and inulin syrup.

     
    Mens Complete Multivitamin
    The SmartyPants Mens Complete multivitamin offers the complete protection of the adult complete multivitamin specially formulated to a man’s body. On top of this you can find this in three flavors and it offers some additional coverage including:

    * A delicious multivitamin for tastebud amazement
    * Omega 3 DHA and EPA fish oil for brain health* (from sustainable small fish)
    * CoQ10 for heart health* (120 mg)
    * Lycopene for arterial health and prostate support

     
    SmartyPants Womens Complete Multivitamin
    The SmartyPants Womens Complete multivitamin also covers you completely as it did with the SmartyPants Complete Multivitamin. It however also offers more including:

    * 15 Essential Nutrients plau Wild-Caught Omega-3 Fish Oil for brain health
    * High Potency Folate (Methylfolate) for detoxification support
    * Vitamin K2 AS MK7 + Vitamin D3 for bone health
    * Antioxidant CoQ10 for energy metabolism and cardiovascular support
    * Non-GMO. Allergen-free. No synthetic colors or flavor.

     
    SmartyPants PreNatal Multivitamin
    The SmartyPants PreNatal Multivitamin is specially formulated for the needs of both the mom and baby to be. While these gummies offer great coverage such as in the SmartyPants Adult Complete Multivitamin they also have some special ingredients that include:

    * Premium nutrients
    * A delicious multivitamin for tastebud amazement
    * Omega 3 DHA and EPA fish oil for brain health* (from sustainable small fish)
    * Folate for healthy nervous system development* (880 mg as methylfolate)
    * Vitamin K2 for calcium regulation and skeletal support* (16 mcg as MK7)

     
     
    In traveling around the county Clay Nichols said that he has found that 99% of the people that he has given vitamins to are completely surprised at how good these vitamins taste, to the extent that they question that they are vitamins at all.
    SmartyPants Vitamins loves to surprise people with the taste as they feel that it is the taste that keeps peo...
    21 min
  • Being All In and Advocating For Equal Rights for Dads with Josh Levs-EP73

    In this episode of the Dad Spotlight we interview Josh Levs about his book, [amazon text=All In: How Our Work-First Culture Fails Dads, Families, and Businesses–And How We Can Fix It Together&asin=0062349619] as well as the changing dynamics of society when it comes to offering equal rights to fathers today.

    Josh Levs is a past journalist with CNN and NPR and when one of his children was about to be born he noticed that out of numerous categories of employees at CNN, fathers were the only groups that were not allowed to receive any specific time from his employer when his child was to be born. Josh Levs challenged this and though it was considered, it was denied eventually after a long period of time. Josh Levs’ child was born prematurely and this caused him to have to make the choice to leave CNN and stay at home with his kids. As he started to look across the country he heard many stories of other fathers that had similar experiences to his own that he pulled together in his book.

    The book (All In)  came together because he took legal action against his company and people came out of the woodwork to tell their story. As he explored this this found that there are so many laws in place that do not support equality for benefits for dads. He wanted to bring this out into the open for men from all walks of life to have their stories told.
    Even our own Don Jackson shared his story in Josh Levs’ book. In the book he shared his decision to why he chose to be a stay at home dad. He also said that he tried to share and show in his story the love that he has for his kids but also the things that dads will do to be a part of their kids’ lives.
    It is sad that we are the most powerful country in the world but we are so behind as it comes to equal gender rights.
    You may be interested to know that in the end, Time Warner, the parent company to CNN changed their policy to be more inclusive and to to provide more comprehensive coverage as it comes to equal gender rights.
    We also talked about another high profile case that recently came out in regards to parental rights and a father doing what it takes to be a great dad. Recently Adam LaRoche of the Chicago White Sox had a year left on his contract and in the past he had been able to bring his son to the games with him. Recently, he was told that he would not be able to bring his son to the games anymore and he chose to leave the team. This decision brough a lot of media backlash and Josh Levs took this opportunity to address the story from a different standpoint.
    The point that Josh Levs was trying to show was that even though Ada LaRoche was a high profile case, there are dads everyday that are making choices and decisions to put family ahead of work. As he said “The difference between the stereotypical dad and actual dads is huge particularly in how we prioritize work and family.”
    There is still a ton that needs to be done to move forward with this discussion. Boys across the country are still being taught to not have emotions and this needs to change. We need to open up a conversation and have an open dialogue about this to change society in general.
    Currently, Josh Levs is speaking at a lot of conferences and with businesses as well as consulting and helping businesses to create better policies. He is working hard to write and to make change that will help all parents. In the end he knows that dads want to be involved in the lives of their kids as much as moms are and the policies,
    44 min

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