Archive | Dads Unplugged Shows

Top 10 Health Concerns for Kids

Top 10 Health Concerns for Kids

What are parents really concerned about? White? African American? Hispanic? Each community has different needs, but on this episode, Todd and Kent share a recently post Top 10 list. It may or may not shock you, but hopefully it will open your eyes to what other parents are feeling. You are not alone.

And the second half of the show is something that is scary for parents as well… talking to their kids about money. How much do you give your child per week in allowance? Why? What do they do to deserve that? Also, have you talked to your kids about the family money? Have you talked to your own parents about money? It’s not a four letter word but everyone seems to stay away from it like it is. This could be a conversation that lasts long beyond this show. Make to sure to answer our questions on Facebook at Dads Unplugged.

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Being Bullied at School

Being Bullied at School

Your child is excited about going to a new school or just returning to school and seeing all of his or her friends. But this year, he/she is greeted by something new and terrible: Bullying. It can tear a child, a family and a community apart. Each year thousands of children are bullied and nothing is done about it. Kent and Todd tackle the topic, share their own experiences being the bully and being bullied. At the end, they have a solution to stop bullying in it’s tracks. Yeah, we believe it is going to change the world.

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What if Your Boy is Different?

What if Your Boy is Different?

The first time you laid eyes on your son, what went through your mind? Have you imagined playing together? Have you imagined playing with dolls, dressing up and having tea parties? No Dad imagines that but many find that is what happens when their boys grow up wanting to be like a girls. In a recent NY Times article, this issue was discussed at length. Todd and Kent had their own chat about what to do when your son wants to be like a girl.

Do you force your child to be something they’re not? Do you let them go to school in dresses and wear wigs? Much of this episode focuses on this, while there is also a larger discussion about how we as Dads can be even better.

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Why embarrassing your kids is a great thing to do

Why embarrassing your kids is a great thing to do

Has your Dad ever embarrassed you? How bad was it really? As a dad, I am pretty sure I have made my boys blush. President Obama did it to his daughter, Malia, and while some focused on what he said, if you listened closely you heard ideas that inspired his daughter and made her better.

Todd goes solo and talks about how we as Dads can have an impact on our kids. The choices we make are critical and whether it is sending your kids to public or private school, or listening to our kids rather than telling them what or how to do something. It’s not a rant, it’s a discovery, it’s an opportunity to learn something that may change the way you parent.

Also is Oregon fixing their school system? Does their new scoring system help schools and ultimately support the kids?

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Should schools stop teaching Math?

Should schools stop teaching Math?

Do you remember taking math in 9th, 10th and 11 grade? Did you flourish? Did you struggle? One College Professor in NY claims that kids struggle with Math so much that we should abolish it as a required class and make it an elective. It has ignited a firestorm of conversation, which could only mean that anyone with an interest in higher level math has a really loud voice, because statistics show that only 1% of graduates have a degree in math.

Andrew Hacker, Professor at Queens College City University New York, and the author of “Higher Education? How colleges are wasting our money and failing our kids and what we can do about it” wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times and now everyone who wasn’t talking about math is talking about math. He claims that of the 1.25 Billion kids on earth, 1 Billion of them won’t graduate from High School and that their struggles in math are a major player in that decision.

Nobody here or the Professor is saying that kids should not learn basic math skills, but we all are questioning the need for Pre-Cal and Calculus classes. A great replacement option would be Financial Literacy classes, but in this day and age with No Child left behind and National testing, there is no way that public schools are going to allow something like this. Are we all doing our kids a big disservice? I will only accept your answer if you can tell me what the (CoSin of A + Sin of B)/CoSin of G equals. Seriously, I want to know. I never could get that right.

 

 

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Guns, Violence and Dads: Can we protect our family?

Guns, Violence and Dads: Can we protect our family?

Jason Alexander, aka George Costanza, set off a firestorm with a recent Tweet on Twitlonger.com. He challenged the thinking of many people in the aftermath of the Colorado murders. In the end, he asked only that we be willing to have an open discussion about Guns Laws.

Roger Ebert, the movie reviewer, piped in via the NYTimes about violence in movies and violence in our lives. Is there a correlation? By allowing our children to see violent movies or play violent video games are we, as parents, actually the ones creating the problem?

Todd and Kent sound off about how Dads can make a difference and keep our most beloved family members safe. Kent also shares his story of shooting an AR-15 and the amazing story of how it wound up in his hands.

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Is it fair to hold your child back a grade?

Is it fair to hold your child back a grade?

Malcolm Gladwell wrote the book, “Outliers” In it, he speaks of how the older kids in classrooms have all the advantages. Some parents have taken this to mean that they should redshirt their children, i.e – hold them back so they are 6 in Kindergarten and 11 in 5th grade. Does this really benefit our children? Does it harm them? Gladwell’s research stems from the world of sports where statistics have shown the advantages of having an early birthday. Kent and Todd speak of their own experience, academically and athletically, and debate this latest trend is hyper parenting.

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Shrinkage, it can happen in more than one place

Shrinkage, it can happen in more than one place

It’s summer. It’s beautiful outside. So why are your kids sitting in the basement playing video games? Why are you allowing it? The Oregon Recreation & Park Association has come up with something all kids will enjoy. It’s the Outdoor Seekers program. Learn the Oregon kids Bill of Rights. Get them their own Activity Passport and make this summer more memorable than ever.

Find places that are closer than you think where you can hike, camp, boat, swim, fish and learn. Stephanie is full of answers and in the final 10 minutes of the show, Todd and Kent unleash a plethora of information you have to know about your kids’ brain. The more they stare at a screen, the more it actually shrinks. This is scary research delivered the way only Todd and Kent can deliver it.

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It’s time to start saying “No” to the elderly and “yes” to our future

It’s time to start saying “No” to the elderly and “yes” to our future

I am sure everyone has heard, “Respect your elders.” My philosophy on that is this. Why do I have to respect someone just because they have lived longer than me. That doesn’t mean I have to respect them. It could mean they have some great input and ideas, but in no way does that mean I have to respect me. they can earn my respect but that is the only way they are going to get it.

David Frum wrote an interesting article in the latest Newsweek and talked about how the elderly are making roads unsafe and making our future unsafe as well. The only other drivers like them on the road are teenagers and those are the ones that the elderly are actually hurting with their ability to live longer.

So what to do about it? Well, ironically Greece has a great answer for the driving issue, not the money problem. we all know that.

Kent and Todd share some ideas about how to approach this delicate subject that nobody in politics wants to deal with. Don’t make the elderly mad, because they will get even. But maybe all we really need to do is listen and that could lead us to a greater future.

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You can have it all. I will show you exactly how

You can have it all. I will show you exactly how

Anne Marie Slaughter is 100% wrong! You can have it all. Todd discusses her Atlantic article which proves that feminists have had it all wrong from the start. While Slaughter’s heart is in the right place, so is everyone’s after they have screwed up and learned their lesson. But in parenting, by then it’s often too late. Hopefully that’s not the case in Slaughter’s situation, but she misses the boat right and left about what one has to do to have it all. It’s very simple. I will tell you how every single person can have it all.

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