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- Beth on The One That Ends With Hope
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- © 2025 - Gregory Keer. All rights reserved.
“Rockin’ Babies” Contest
Got a cute baby? Enter pix to win cool stuff! I’m helping to judge a contest to help get the word out about Rockin’ Babies, the fun and funny new board book written by Dr. Jenn Berman and Cynthia Weil, with illustrator Galia Bernstein. Dr. Jenn is one of my very favorite parenting writers and a marvelous psychologist and on-air expert. Her most recent book is Superbaby. She wrote Rockin’ Babies with her mom, who has co-composed, with her husband Barry Man, classic rock songs such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”
Movie Aliens and Captains Offer Family Lessons
Maybe it’s the fact that my sons are getting older so I can take them to more films above the G rating, but I do feel this summer has offered a slew of worthwhile movies to see with my kids. Hard to pick a clear favorite at the moment, especially since timing issues have prevented me from seeing the last Harry Potter flick (I’m a bit fanatical about seeing it in just the right theater and with at least one of my children). But Captain America was a winner for my entire family. The Joe Johnston- (October Sky — which is well worth renting or downloading — and The Rocketeer) directed actioner paid homage to old Hollywood films as it centered on a WWII-era story of heroism, patriotism, and identity. Great line from the movie was Steve Rogers’ response to Dr. Erskine who asks if Steve wants to kill the enemy. “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies.”Nice lesson to kids who come to the theater to see “The First Avenger” and get a message that it’s not about looking to kill people but about standing up for yourself and preventing aggressors from victimizing others
I’m also a fan of Super 8. J.J. Abrams and his crew told a good Steven Spielberg-style tale of kids being better attuned to others (even aliens) and saving the world. It’s a thrilling movie that gave me a true bonding experience with my adolescent son, particularly because of the father-son storylines. One question, though: why do Hollywood movies and TV shows kill off moms in order to show dads bonding with their kids? This film, by the way, makes me want to show Stand and Deliver to my eldest.
Gonna try to see Cowboys and Aliens this weekend. Not as high on possible lessons, but looks like fun.
Posted in Activities With Kids, Blog, Ethics, Family Man Recommends, Film, Single Fathers
Leave a comment
Let Teachers Teach
As I prepare for a new year of teaching high school, I came across this. Absolutely Mindy (the funny and insightful DJ for Kids Place Live on Sirius XM Radio) pointed out an excellent article on how we can help our teachers improve education — let them teach! In our rush for quick fixes to education, we’ve focused on testing results. As a byproduct, our kids have a lot of information but little knowledge of what to do with it. And teachers, hemmed in by the drive for exam scores, are left with little room to employ lessons that take children to deeper levels of learning. I’m certainly not saying that all the answers are in this article or that I personally have all the solutions, but this piece is a very good start to the conversation on how we can help our teachers be inspired to inspire our kids.
What are your ideas for making U.S. education great again?
Family Man Recommends: ‘The Future According to Me’
Rob Kutner is a very funny fellow. He also happens to be a terrific dad and husband (though his wife Sheryl is more qualified to judge). On the funny side, this Emmy-nominated writer for Conan and Emmy winner for his years on The Daily Show weighs in on predicting what the upcoming years have in store with his new Kindle book, The Future According to Me. He covers such topics as the future of Earth, man, woman, race, politics, chocolate, hipster aliens, and Black Holes filled with deadbeat dads, among things worth reading about while you’re in the bathroom library. Honestly, 99 cents is all it takes to get you into the mind of the Nostradamus of Funny — not sure if that makes sense, but if you want the real laughs, check out Rob’s book, which can be read on just about any electronic device.
Here’s a snippet of what Rob has written about fatherhood: “Having a child means that, by definition, I’m constantly thinking about the future — the worst and best scenarios, usually at the same time. In some ways, writing this book was just a cheap form of therapy. Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to read it unless I can figure out how to wrestle the iPad back from my toddler.”
Father and Son Are ‘Dinorific’
In the interest of creating a “time capsule of creativity,” Michael Sgrignoli wrote a series of ten poems about dinosaurs that he then had his son, Ethan (then age 8), illustrate. The result could’ve been a simple keepsake for Mike and his kid, but the poetry is funny, the words cleverly chosen, and the content quite educational. Along with Ethan’s adorable pictures, the book makes for a fun read with your kids. More than that, it’s the kind of thing that might inspire you and your own child to do something similar. My own six year old made me sit down at the computer after we read Dinorific Poetry and we wrote a few verses. While it’s certainly not as polished as Mike (who also sells advertising and plays drums on weekend gigs) and Ethan’s work, I am grateful for the incentive to write something with my son. Check out the efforts of the Sgrignoli team and see what imagination roars for you.
4th of July Songs for Kids
Music maven Dave Sloan has posted his picks for a 4th of July playlist. It includes some unexpected (no surprise with Dave) selections from Violent Femmes, the Pogues, and more. For kids, there are plenty of patriotic songs worth cranking up while you fire up BBQs. Some more conventional but worthwhile choices include Ray Charles’s “America the Beautiful,” Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom,” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is My Land.” Every year, someone (I believe it’s the invaluable TCM cable channel) airs Michael Curtiz’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, a musical biopic of Broadway legend George M. Cohan, with James Cagney in the title role. I highly recommend this classic for its unabashed positivism and patriotism about the man who wrote such songs as “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.” Make sure to catch the black-and-white version if you can. What are some of your favorite 4th of July songs?
What’s Your Favorite Vacation?
What has been your all-time favorite vacation spot with your kids? If you have a top 2 or 3, tell us! One word answers and multiple sentence responses are welcome. Ours has been family camp because of the friendships and freedom our kids (and we) have enjoyed. Second would be a road trip to Utah.
Kids Bowl Free This Summer
Go to KidsBowlFree.com and sign up for 2 free games of bowling all summer long. Parents may choose to upgrade (completely optional) to a family pass for around $30. Then, the family can bowl 2-games for free all summer long! Most bowling centers will offer this program till the end of August, but check with them for the specific end date.
A Father’s Food Blog
Food and parenting mix beautifully on this blog, written by single dad, school principal, and marvelous cook Don Wilson. Feeding Andrew chronicles how Wilson parents his teenage son and provides delectable recipes for a wide variety of foods he plates for his kid. A recent blog entry is about Wilson’s own dad, himself a writer, who tells a story about a bond with his late dog.
Father’s Day Music Playlist
Friend and fellow music lover Dave Sloan has taken all the guesswork out of creating a Dad’s Day playlist. Go to his blog, Let’s Not Get Carried Away, for some excellent choices, including Randy Newman’s “Memo to My Son” and De La Soul’s “Magic Number” (an all-time favorite of mine).
“Rockin’ Babies” Contest
Got a cute baby? Enter pix to win cool stuff! I’m helping to judge a contest to help get the word out about Rockin’ Babies, the fun and funny new board book written by Dr. Jenn Berman and Cynthia Weil, with illustrator Galia Bernstein. Dr. Jenn is one of my very favorite parenting writers and a marvelous psychologist and on-air expert. Her most recent book is Superbaby. She wrote Rockin’ Babies with her mom, who has co-composed, with her husband Barry Man, classic rock songs such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”
Movie Aliens and Captains Offer Family Lessons
Maybe it’s the fact that my sons are getting older so I can take them to more films above the G rating, but I do feel this summer has offered a slew of worthwhile movies to see with my kids. Hard to pick a clear favorite at the moment, especially since timing issues have prevented me from seeing the last Harry Potter flick (I’m a bit fanatical about seeing it in just the right theater and with at least one of my children). But Captain America was a winner for my entire family. The Joe Johnston- (October Sky — which is well worth renting or downloading — and The Rocketeer) directed actioner paid homage to old Hollywood films as it centered on a WWII-era story of heroism, patriotism, and identity. Great line from the movie was Steve Rogers’ response to Dr. Erskine who asks if Steve wants to kill the enemy. “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies.”Nice lesson to kids who come to the theater to see “The First Avenger” and get a message that it’s not about looking to kill people but about standing up for yourself and preventing aggressors from victimizing others
I’m also a fan of Super 8. J.J. Abrams and his crew told a good Steven Spielberg-style tale of kids being better attuned to others (even aliens) and saving the world. It’s a thrilling movie that gave me a true bonding experience with my adolescent son, particularly because of the father-son storylines. One question, though: why do Hollywood movies and TV shows kill off moms in order to show dads bonding with their kids? This film, by the way, makes me want to show Stand and Deliver to my eldest.
Gonna try to see Cowboys and Aliens this weekend. Not as high on possible lessons, but looks like fun.
Posted in Activities With Kids, Blog, Ethics, Family Man Recommends, Film, Single Fathers
Leave a comment
Let Teachers Teach
As I prepare for a new year of teaching high school, I came across this. Absolutely Mindy (the funny and insightful DJ for Kids Place Live on Sirius XM Radio) pointed out an excellent article on how we can help our teachers improve education — let them teach! In our rush for quick fixes to education, we’ve focused on testing results. As a byproduct, our kids have a lot of information but little knowledge of what to do with it. And teachers, hemmed in by the drive for exam scores, are left with little room to employ lessons that take children to deeper levels of learning. I’m certainly not saying that all the answers are in this article or that I personally have all the solutions, but this piece is a very good start to the conversation on how we can help our teachers be inspired to inspire our kids.
What are your ideas for making U.S. education great again?
Family Man Recommends: ‘The Future According to Me’
Rob Kutner is a very funny fellow. He also happens to be a terrific dad and husband (though his wife Sheryl is more qualified to judge). On the funny side, this Emmy-nominated writer for Conan and Emmy winner for his years on The Daily Show weighs in on predicting what the upcoming years have in store with his new Kindle book, The Future According to Me. He covers such topics as the future of Earth, man, woman, race, politics, chocolate, hipster aliens, and Black Holes filled with deadbeat dads, among things worth reading about while you’re in the bathroom library. Honestly, 99 cents is all it takes to get you into the mind of the Nostradamus of Funny — not sure if that makes sense, but if you want the real laughs, check out Rob’s book, which can be read on just about any electronic device.
Here’s a snippet of what Rob has written about fatherhood: “Having a child means that, by definition, I’m constantly thinking about the future — the worst and best scenarios, usually at the same time. In some ways, writing this book was just a cheap form of therapy. Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to read it unless I can figure out how to wrestle the iPad back from my toddler.”
Father and Son Are ‘Dinorific’
In the interest of creating a “time capsule of creativity,” Michael Sgrignoli wrote a series of ten poems about dinosaurs that he then had his son, Ethan (then age 8), illustrate. The result could’ve been a simple keepsake for Mike and his kid, but the poetry is funny, the words cleverly chosen, and the content quite educational. Along with Ethan’s adorable pictures, the book makes for a fun read with your kids. More than that, it’s the kind of thing that might inspire you and your own child to do something similar. My own six year old made me sit down at the computer after we read Dinorific Poetry and we wrote a few verses. While it’s certainly not as polished as Mike (who also sells advertising and plays drums on weekend gigs) and Ethan’s work, I am grateful for the incentive to write something with my son. Check out the efforts of the Sgrignoli team and see what imagination roars for you.
4th of July Songs for Kids
Music maven Dave Sloan has posted his picks for a 4th of July playlist. It includes some unexpected (no surprise with Dave) selections from Violent Femmes, the Pogues, and more. For kids, there are plenty of patriotic songs worth cranking up while you fire up BBQs. Some more conventional but worthwhile choices include Ray Charles’s “America the Beautiful,” Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom,” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is My Land.” Every year, someone (I believe it’s the invaluable TCM cable channel) airs Michael Curtiz’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, a musical biopic of Broadway legend George M. Cohan, with James Cagney in the title role. I highly recommend this classic for its unabashed positivism and patriotism about the man who wrote such songs as “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.” Make sure to catch the black-and-white version if you can. What are some of your favorite 4th of July songs?
What’s Your Favorite Vacation?
What has been your all-time favorite vacation spot with your kids? If you have a top 2 or 3, tell us! One word answers and multiple sentence responses are welcome. Ours has been family camp because of the friendships and freedom our kids (and we) have enjoyed. Second would be a road trip to Utah.
Kids Bowl Free This Summer
Go to KidsBowlFree.com and sign up for 2 free games of bowling all summer long. Parents may choose to upgrade (completely optional) to a family pass for around $30. Then, the family can bowl 2-games for free all summer long! Most bowling centers will offer this program till the end of August, but check with them for the specific end date.
A Father’s Food Blog
Food and parenting mix beautifully on this blog, written by single dad, school principal, and marvelous cook Don Wilson. Feeding Andrew chronicles how Wilson parents his teenage son and provides delectable recipes for a wide variety of foods he plates for his kid. A recent blog entry is about Wilson’s own dad, himself a writer, who tells a story about a bond with his late dog.
Father’s Day Music Playlist
Friend and fellow music lover Dave Sloan has taken all the guesswork out of creating a Dad’s Day playlist. Go to his blog, Let’s Not Get Carried Away, for some excellent choices, including Randy Newman’s “Memo to My Son” and De La Soul’s “Magic Number” (an all-time favorite of mine).