#parenting

From 2012 through 2017, I authored the Fathers, Work, and Family Blog, the first and most prominent blog focused on helping fathers balance work and family and promoting more supportive workplaces. The blog is now shuttered, but is archived here.

How to Turn Valentine’s Day Into 5 Date Nights

Scott Behson

Feb 10, 2016
2 min

How to Turn Valentine’s Day Into 5 Date Nights

What’s better than one Valentine’s Day? Five! (photo credit: Pixaby.com) I’m a big fan of Valentine’s Day. Yes, I’m a romantic at heart, but I also think that Valentine’s Day is an important time to reinforce the romantic side of our relationships. Between work, home and co-parenting, it’s deceptively easy to let romance slide. We can use Valentine’s Day to reconnect. But, you know, Valentine’s Day is just one day. Is there a way we can leverage it to open up the opportunity

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The Two Things Dads Can’t Do As Well As Moms

Scott Behson

Jan 19, 2016
4 min

The Two Things Dads Can’t Do As Well As Moms

Many people believe the stereotype that moms are naturally inclined to parenthood and that dads are less capable parents, despite all the accumulating evidence to the contrary. There are, however, two things dads can’t do as well as moms: 1. Giving Birth One of the things dads can’t do (Wikipedia: creative commons) 2. Breastfeeding One of the things dads can’t do (flickr: creative commons) That’s it. Almost all of the remaining difference in parenting capabilities can be att

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5% More Fun. A Mother’s Day Salute to My Wife

Scott Behson

May 8, 2015
2 min

5% More Fun. A Mother’s Day Salute to My Wife

A mother’s day tribute to the best mom I know My friends over at City Dads Group just wrote a great Mother’s Day themed article “What Our Wives Taught Us About Parenting” on their blog. What a clever way to recognize moms and to promote the notion of shared-care parenting. I highly recommend you read it. Their post gave me the inspiration to write about what I’ve learned from Amy about parenting as a way of recognizing her on this Mother’s Day. Of course, Amy and I became par

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Author Q&A- Whit Honea, The Parents’ Phrase Book and Parenting with Love

Scott Behson

Apr 8, 2014
5 min

Author Q&A- Whit Honea, The Parents’ Phrase Book and Parenting with Love

Whit Honea recently wrote “The Parents’ Phrase Book.” Whit is a friend and a writer I respect, and I think his book is quite helpful for parents; I hope you find it helpful, too. (I did not receive any remuneration- even a free book- for this interview.) Whit Honea’s “The Parents’ Phrase Book” The best advice I could ever give is to do everything with love—from packing a lunch to discipline, building a fort to volunteering at a school function—it can be frustrating and trying

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Expert Perspectives: The Truth About Fathers from the Founders of the NYC Dads’ Group

Scott Behson

Jan 31, 2014
2 min

Expert Perspectives: The Truth About Fathers from the Founders of the NYC Dads’ Group

The founders of the NYC Dads’ Group reflect on what they’ve learned from their members. Powerful stuff. If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know I am a huge fan of the NYC Dads’ Group, a network of about 900 dads in and around NYC. The group hosts “new dad boot camps” and frequent social activities- providing many opportunities for dads to support and learn from each other. Founders Matt Scheider and Lance Sommerfield recently wrote a great piece in NY Pa

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Expert Perspectives: Five Reasons Why It’s A Great Time to be a Dad!

Scott Behson

Nov 7, 2013
5 min

Expert Perspectives: Five Reasons Why It’s A Great Time to be a Dad!

Hey, busy involved dad, are you feeling burned out? You are not alone- most dads are struggling to juggle work and family. But that’s a sign of progress. And in many ways this is the best of times to be a father. Guest author Jeremy Adam Smith explains five reasons why. Guest author Jeremy Adam Smith Jeremy Adam Smith writes on a variety of topics related to positive psychology and fatherhood and is the author of several books, including The Daddy Shift. You should really che

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What I Did Last Sunday Instead of Watching Football. A Photo Essay

Scott Behson

Sep 27, 2013
2 min

What I Did Last Sunday Instead of Watching Football. A Photo Essay

I like watching sports as much as the next guy. But living life should always come first. Nick and Jesse hamming it up on our visit to the awesome Storm King Arts Center Being a New York sports fan, I have two football teams to follow. I’m a rabid Jets fan, but also follow the Giants. Last weekend, they both faced big early-season games. So, when my wife said she wanted to take a family trip to the Storm King Arts Center (you should really go there if you are in the NY metro

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Thank you, Elvis, For Helping Me Raise My Son

Scott Behson

Sep 12, 2013
4 min

Thank you, Elvis, For Helping Me Raise My Son

How a conversation about my son’s favorite singer- Elvis Presley- helped me teach him a valuable lesson about drugs (and honest communication, and rock and roll…) Elvis is still the King. (public domain photo) Resisting Pop Culture In general I resist pop culture as it pushes our kids to grow up too damned fast. I do my best to shield my 8 year old, Nick, from the coarsening effects of pop culture, and I suspect you do as well. But it is really hard to do. I don’t take Nick t

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For Busy Dads, Reading (with our kids) is Fundamental

Scott Behson

May 28, 2013
4 min

For Busy Dads, Reading (with our kids) is Fundamental

Reading with our kids is important for their development- and, with some creativity we can also use reading as a way to stay connected with our kids even when busy or when traveling for work. Here’s expert Chris Cottrell’s evidence and advice Guest blogger Chris Cottrell who founded a “Daddy Read A Book”, a NFP that encourages reading as a way to strengthen the bond between dads and their kids I’m writing this post from the perspective of a son, looking back on great things m

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Staying Connected with Your Kids When Traveling for Work

Scott Behson

May 9, 2013
4 min

Staying Connected with Your Kids When Traveling for Work

Traveling for work is often a necessary evil for busy working dads. Here’s one dad’s experience and advice for staying connected with family while on business trips. Guest blogger Jason Swann with his kids Staying Connected When Traveling for Work A Guest Post by Jason Swann, who blogs as The Cheeky Daddy It begins with dinner, moves to bath and jammy time, eases into books and stories, then ends with hugs and kisses. Simple, yes? NO! I’ve seen cowboys break a mustang before

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What I Want My Son to Learn About Work and Family (part 3): Family First

Scott Behson

Apr 29, 2013
4 min

What I Want My Son to Learn About Work and Family (part 3): Family First

Our job as fathers is to equip our children to have productive, happy and meaningful lives. The best way to do so is by role-modeling the values, priorities and actions we hope they will aspire to. At last, the finale! If you haven’t already, please read Part 1 and Part 2, which were posted last week. This article picks up where those left off. I hope I can role-model work-family priorities for Nick as well as my father did for me Someday, and sooner than we think, my Nick (a

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What I Want My Son to Learn About Work and Family (part 2): My Wife’s Career is as Important a

Scott Behson

Apr 25, 2013
4 min

What I Want My Son to Learn About Work and Family (part 2): My Wife’s Career is as Important a

Our job as fathers is to equip our children to have productive, happy and meaningful lives. In my opinion, the best way to do so is by role-modeling the values, priorities and actions to which we hope they will aspire. I hope I can role-model good work-family values for my son One day, I hope Nick will get married, and I want him to value not just his own career, but also the career of his life partner. This is not a lesson that is taught effectively through words. I hope tha

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What I Want My Son to Learn About Work and Family (part 1)

Scott Behson

Apr 22, 2013
5 min

What I Want My Son to Learn About Work and Family (part 1)

What lessons about work and family should we be role-modeling for our children? For me, I hope my son learns that work can bring fulfillment, meaning, and opportunities to help others- not just money. I also hope he learns that work-family balance means family first and that his career priorities should take his future spouse/family’s needs into account. I hope I can role-model good work-family values for my son Young kids don’t fully understand why we sometimes have to be aw

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Scott Behson

Oct 5, 2012
5 min

Parenting Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect

Periodically, Fathers, Work, and Family will feature a guest post from a working dad relating some of their experiences, struggles and advice. In this way, we can all benefit from multiple perspectives and start building a community on this blog. If you’d like to participate, please email me (you can find the email here) and we can discuss what you’d like to share. The first installment in this series comes from my good friend (and more importantly, loyal blog reader), Neil

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Scott Behson, PhD Professor, Author, Speaker, Consultant Building Better Workplaces That Work for Everyone

From 2012 through 2017, I authored the Fathers, Work, and Family Blog, the first and most prominent blog focused on helping fathers balance work and family and promoting more supportive workplaces. The blog is now shuttered, but is archived here.

Scott Behson, PhD
Professor, Author, Speaker, Consultant
Building Better Workplaces
That Work for Everyone