Military Dads

Q: Dear Mr. Dad: My wife and I are expecting our first child. The problem is that I’m in the US Marine Corps on tour in Iraq. I have been here since the beginning of the pregnancy and I might not be there for the birth of our child. My wife is having a hard [Readmore]

Q: I’m in the military and I’m going to be sent overseas for at least a year. The problem is that my wife is pregnant and due to deliver right about the time I’m supposed to ship out. I can probably finagle things so that I’ll be here for the birth of our child, but [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: A few months ago, my husband got back from his 3rd Army deployment—two in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. He’s been diagnosed with PTSD and is getting treatment. But I’m worried that his condition is somehow rubbing off on the rest of the family. Our children are having problems in school, I’m finding [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I’m in the US Air Force, stationed in Italy. My wife is 5.5 months pregnant with our first and I’ve asked our on-base obstetricians to allow me to catch the baby when it’s born. I feel I should be the first person to hold my child, not some doctor we’ll never see [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: My 18-year old son wants to join the Army, but neither my wife nor I want him to enlist. How do we communicate that without sounding like we want to control his life? Is it wrong to tell him we think he’s making a big mistake? A: First, my congratulations to your [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: Now that our troops are coming home from Iraq, my husband is thinking about getting out of the Air Force. We’ve heard a lot about all the benefits that are supposedly available to veterans and their families, but how do we find out about them? A: When I got out of the [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: My husband is deployed overseas right now and we just had our baby girl. He was home for the birth, but had to leave only 20 days after. He really doesn’t seem to take much interest in her. We talk over Skype all the time but he still keeps some emotional distance [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: You’ve written a lot of about how deployed dads can maintain strong relationships with their children while they’re away—and I’ve learned a lot of great stuff. But what about my wife? How do I keep my relationship with her strong too? A: Excellent question! With all the attention that gets paid to [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: You’ve written a lot about dads in the military, but I’m in the opposite situation—my wife is a deployed Marine, and I’m at home with the kids. I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. What can I do to support her and keep myself—and the kids–sane? A: First of all, thank you both for your [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I’ve been deployed in Afghanistan for 13 months and am returning home next week. Being apart from my wife and children for so long has got me committed to making some major changes in my relationships with them. How easy will this be to do? A: There’s nothing like being away from [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: My wife and I are expecting our first child. The problem is that I’m in the US Marine Corps on tour in Iraq. I have been here since the beginning of the pregnancy and I might not be there for the birth of our child. My wife is having a hard time [Readmore]

Guests: Sergeant Major of the Army, Raymond F. Chandler III, and Jeanne Chandler Topics covered: The Army’s Ready and Resilient Program The Army’s commitment to military families A candid, personal discussion of how the Chandlers struggled, coped with, and overcame the SMA’s PTSD, and the support and resources that are available to other families facing [Readmore]

Guest 1: Rick Ackerly, author of . Topic: Encouraging character, curiosity, and creativity in children. Issues: How focusing on character, curiosity, and creativity at a young age lights the path to a successful life and academic achievement; how parents and teachers can build self-worth and confidence; the importance of allowing children to take on challenges, learn from disappointment, and take on responsibility. Guest 2: Chaplain Dale White, CAPT, Operations Officer, Office of the Chief of [Readmore]

Guest 1: David Marshak, author of Kids Need the Same Teacher for More than One Year. Topic: The most humane innovation to improve education for your children. Issues: Why having your child in a classroom with the same teacher for at least two years leads to higher academic achievement, more efficient use of school time, [Readmore]

Guest: 1: Vicki Hoefle, author of Duct Tape Parenting. Topic: A less-is-more approach to raising respectful, responsible, resilient kids. Issues: Why helicopter mothers and fathers are bad for kids; why it’s important for moms and dads to sit on their hands and stay on the sidelines so that children can step up, solve their own [Readmore]

Guest 1: Jill Biden, author of Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops. Topic: The Second Lady of the US talks about being the mother of a deployed soldier and the effects of deployment on children. Guest 2: Sean Connolly, author of The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math. Topic: Death-defying challenges for young mathematicians. Issues: How [Readmore]

Guest 1: Mary O’Dohohue, author of When You Say ‘Thank You,’ Mean It. Topic: 12 lessons for instilling lifelong values in your children. Issues: A 12-month program (that’s easy to implement and actually works) for teaching values: gratitude, self-respect, respect for others, integrity, compassion, forgiveness, a sense of joy, commitment, lifelong learning, inner strength, spirituality, [Readmore]

Guest 1: Bob Cavert, with the Talking with Heroes video project Topic: Interviews with American soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and other places. Issues: The good stuff we almost never hear about on the news; deployed military dads; keeping military families together, and more. You can listen to Bob’s interviews with servicemembers at Talking with [Readmore]

Guest 1: Don MacMannis, coauthor of How’s Your Family Really Doing? Topic: Ten keys to a happy, loving family. Issues: Understand the characteristics of healthy families and ways to bring out the best in each other; identify your family’s strengths and areas for improvement; facilitate conversations between yourself, your partner, your parents, and your children; [Readmore]

Guest 1: Fred Kaeser, author of Talking about Sex. Topic: Straight-talking info for parents. Issues: How our sexualized culture is making kids grow up too quickly; when to start basic conversations about sex (hint: a lot earlier than you think); tools for navigating uncomfortable topics. Guest 2: Eliot Mizrachi, director of Communications for the Entertainment [Readmore]

Guest: Jena Pincott, author of Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies?Topic: The surprising science of pregnancy. Issues: Does stress sharpen your baby’s mind—or dull it? Can you predict your baby’s temperament? Why are babies born in the darker months of the year more likely to be risk-takers? Are bossy, dominant women more likely to have [Readmore]

Guest: Robert Sears, author of The Vaccine Book. Topic: Making the right decision for your child. Issues: How common or rare are various diseases that the vaccines are designed to protect against? The difference between live-and killed virus vaccines; which ingredients are controversial; what are potential side-effects and how can they be prevented; vaccines for [Readmore]

Guest: Michael Gurian, author of How Do I Help Him? Topic: A guide to working with boys and men. Issues: The many ways boys and men are struggling in society; why the helping professions (therapists, health care workers, etc) aren’t equipped to actually help males; why approaches that work for women and girls will not [Readmore]

Guests: Diane Kennedy and Rebecca Banks, coauthors of Bright, Not Broken.Topic: Why kids with ADD and Autism are stuck and how we can help them. Issues: Some of our most brilliant kids won’t ever be recognized because they’re “twice exceptional” meaning that they’re gifted and diagnosed with a disability—usually ADHD or autism; keeping these children [Readmore]

Guest 1: Ada Calhoun, author of Instinctive Parenting. Topic: Trusting ourselves to raise good kids. Issues: There is no universal “best” way to parent; does it matter whether you start solids at four months or eight? Co-sleep or not? Whether you eat 100% organic all the time? Learning to tune out the “experts” and rely [Readmore]

Guest 1: Claudia Gold, author of Keeping Your Child in Mind. Topic: Overcoming defiance, tantrums, and other behavior problems by seeing the world through your child’s eyes. Issues: Learning to recognize your child as a person with feelings and teaching yourself to recognize what’s motivating your child to act the way he is instead of [Readmore]

Guest 1: Megan Turak, author of Your Military Family Network. Topic: Resources for military families. Issues: Special concerns of families facing deployment; the challenges of staying in touch across time and distance; resources that can help support deployed servicemembers and their families; how to build your own support network; increasing your (and your family’s overall [Readmore]

Guest 1: Janet Hughes, advocate for children’s vision. Children’s Vision Foundation Topic: Raising the standards for eye care. Issues: The critical difference between vision screenings and eye exams—and why screenings often miss serious problems; the importance of good vision in school and elsewhere (academic learning is 80% visual). Guest 2: Darryl Shue, representative of the [Readmore]

Guest 1: Barbara Probst, author of When the Labels Don’t Fit. Topic: A new approach to raising a challenging child. Issues: Discovering your child’s essential nature and temperament; respecting your child’s inner world; changing the way you think, talk, and respond; knowing when and how to help; taking care of yourself. Guest 2: Karen Pavlicin, [Readmore]

Guest 1: Michelle Keener, author of Shared Courage. Topic: A Marine wife’s story of strength and service. Issues: The effects of war on those who stay at home; how military spouses deal with deployment and the constant fear of losing a loved one; finding a support network; helping kids cope with their fears about the [Readmore]