Why Every Parents Should Take a Vacation Without Their Kids

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I made it five days into my dream vacation before bursting into tears in the middle of the elevator in my hotel.

I was in London, giving myself the break everyone told me I needed — the break I’d wished for so many times. Finally, I could put down the weight on my shoulders that never goes away. No work. No responsibility.

And, most significantly of all, no kids.

I’d never been away from my kids for longer than a day. I’m a single dad, and they’re teenagers, so it was a long time coming.

And it was great… until it wasn’t.

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8 First Time Dad Tips I Wish I Knew Sooner

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I’ve been a dad for 8 years now, and as of this writing, I have two girls — 2 and 8.

In that time, I have learned a lot. And it seems that, somehow, I have more and more to learn each and every day. New mistakes to make! New ways to screw up!

As a first time dad, I knew next to nothing. The amount of responsibility in front of me was totally overwhelming.

It would be impossible for me to write an entire manual of everything you need to know as a first time dad.

But here are just a few simple first time father tips I picked up that I wish I knew from the very beginning.

Let’s get right into my list!

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8 Things I Wish I Knew Before My Daughter Went Through Puberty

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As a man in his soon-to-be late 30s, I’m pretty far removed from puberty.

But from what I can remember, there were mostly a lot of pimples, a growth spurt or two, and awkwardly trying to find myself in middle and high school.

Overall, though, not a crazy experience and certainly nothing that required a lot of hand-holding.

Now, I have a daughter, and she’s starting to go through puberty, and I realize how much different the experience is for girls than boys. The worst thing I had to worry about was an erection at a bad time. For girls, a worst-case scenario is much more intense.

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9 Captivating & Heartwarming Books About Dads & Fatherhood

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Dads often don’t have the best representation in literature.

In a lot of novels, the father character is some combination of:

  • Toxic
  • Absent
  • or dead!

So if you’re looking for the best books about dads, you might be having some trouble finding good options.

Without any further ado, here are my favorite novels about dads and fatherhood — many of which (but not all) are actually positive and uplifting!

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9 Baby Things (Almost) No One Needs to Buy

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If this is your first baby, there’s no getting around it.

You’re gonna need a lot of stuff!

The list of things you need for a newborn is long and expensive, which is why registries for baby showers are so helpful.

But beware! A lot of the products put out by Big Baby are really just a Big Waste of Money. You won’t need a lot of fancy gadets and gizmos to survive baby’s first year, I promise.

Here are 9 baby registry products you almost certainly don’t need — and a few that you actually do.

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The 13 Worst Pieces of Parenting Advice You Should Definitely Ignore

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When you become a new parent, it’s inevitable that you’ll be bombarded with advice from nearly everyone in your life.

Much of it is well-meaning. People are just trying to help!

But whether the advice and tips are outdated or just plain wrong, you should probably ignore most of what you hear.

Here is some of the absolute worst parenting advice new parents hear all the time, and why you should definitely ignore it.

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32 Unique Compliments Any Dad Will Love

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Men don’t get a lot of compliments.

It’s true! Many men report almost never getting unsolicited compliments, not to even mention how touch-starved and affection-starved most men in the U.S. are.

Though many of them would never say it out loud, the dads in your life would absolutely love a good, genuine compliment every now and then. It does wonders for anyone’s self esteem, especially when they’re not used to getting them.

So if you’re looking for some ideas, here are some fantastic compliments for dads that any dad would absolutely love to receive.

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21 Iconic Bluey Games to Play at Home Right Now

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Bluey is such a fantastic TV show.

It’s one of the best kids shows on TV and there’s plenty there for adults to enjoy. I genuinely love watching it with my daughter and, to be honest, I’d probably watch it without her!

Bandit Heeler is also an all-time best TV dad, though he sets the bar pretty high for the rest of us.

If you’re feeling inspired by Bandit and how silly and fun he is with the kids, you’re in luck.

You can play a lot of the Bluey games at home right now, and here’s how!

Photo courtesy of Disney+

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