Practice Makes Perfect
Have you ever had this thought? You buy a Powerball ticket and discover you won the jackpot! You’ve made it!! You can quit your job, pay off the mortgage, buy the car you’ve always wanted, and retire to some Caribbean…
Category Health
A Good Use of Time: How Dads and Teens can Find Compromise with Screen Time, Cell Phones and Technology
Purchasing a personal device for a child may be simple, and teaching them how it functions, easy. In fact, it’s too easy—but something that is not simple or easy is the task of reversing a bad habit or psychological damages…
Breaking the Stigma: Supporting Youth Mental Health in Our Community
Mental health is as vital as physical health, yet there remains a significant barrier preventing many from seeking help: stigma. For youth, this stigma can lead to untreated mental health conditions hindering their growth, education and overall well-being. The Local…
The Power of Play: How Sports Benefit Growing Bodies & Minds
Logan, now a high school athlete, first experienced the transformative power of sports at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield. He vividly recalls stepping onto the basketball court at six or seven years old. What began as a simple…
The ABC’s of Coaching & Parenting: Advice from a Football Coach and Father of Two
This month on the Growing Good Dads blog, we’re diving into the ways you can be a good dad to preteens. Children at this age are in a period of growth and discovery: they’re learning who they are and figuring…
Starting Strong in Elementary School: 3 Strategies for Dads
If your child is entering the public education system (maybe for the first time), you probably wondering how to make sure it’s a success. I understand, and I am in the same boat as a dad of a preschooler. I’ve…
Parenting Goals: Creating a Value-Based Environment for Your Child
Goal Setting for Parents I strongly believe in the idea of setting goals. If you aim for nothing, you’ll get nothing every time. This concept is typically used to set personal goals, but I’m here to talk about goal setting…
The Power of Glove
I believe in the power of a glove. This is not a religious conviction, though Annie Savoy and Joh Kinsella would probably disagree. I hold a simple belief that a glove can make a significant difference in someone’s life. …
6 Ways to Foster a Sense of Creativity in Your Kids
School. Soccer practice. Homework. Dinner. Piano Recital. Bed. Repeat. Does some variation of this sound all too familiar? Intentionally or unintentionally, our Generation Z kids are enduring heavy schedules filled with highly scripted activities. This leaves little (if any) downtime…
New and Improved ‘You’ in 2022: Care for You in 2022
In a year of chaos, stay at home orders, and the uncertainty of the future, self-care is important now more than ever. With health screenings, body weight, and water intake being discussed everywhere at all times, we felt it was…
Privilege of Freedom: The Freedom of Childhood
When Structure Isn’t Enough – Fostering Unstructured Play in a Highly Structured World Ah, those glorious, carefree days of childhood play. Thinking back to childhood, what do you remember? If we could go to the future and ask children what…
The Difference A Dad Makes: Physical Health
Why Dads Matter to Child Health and Behavioral-Health Related Outcomes 1. Children with father loss have, by the age of nine, a 14% reduction in telomere length—the most reliable predictors of life expectancy. In addition, the telomere loss is 40%…
Are we There Yet?
Taking a road trip with your kids can be an unforgettable experience. The open road leads to endless possibilities and a chance not only to bond with your children, but also create memories that last a lifetime. But the road…
Three Girls, Three Sports
How many of you are like me? While growing up you played as many sports as you could—baseball, basketball, football, and even soccer (VERY little)! I was NOT the best athlete. There were many of my teammates who did a…
Good Dads Take Care of their Health
In May 2013 Sean Murphy watched Forks over Knives and made a decision. He would no longer eat meat, fish, poultry or any other animal products. In short, he would become vegan. Many people go from eating meat and fish…