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Cast of Dads #12: Who’s The Boss???

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

No, this is not a show about Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano, but in this week’s Cast of Dads podcast we do start off discussing who plays the role of chief disciplinarian in each of our homes.  And of course, what would a show about discipline be without a healthy peek at punishment.  From “dunce caps” to spanking to a good old “guilt trip,” us dueling dads tackle tough love and more in this week’s talk.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

  • Who is the softy in the house?
  • Who is the enforcer?
  • When siblings begin helping with the parenting
  • Teaching to respect adults balanced with not trusting strangers
  • Friends known as “aunts” & “uncles”
  • Naughty Steps, Dunce Caps and time out
  • Losing control and raised voices
  • Extreme discipline
  • To Spank or not to Spank?

You can listen to Cast of Dads Episode 12 here.

If you have been enjoying the Cast of Dads, please tell your friends about the show and have them subscribe to either our direct feed or via iTunes.  Also, please leave us a review in iTunes!

Cast of Dads is a group of podcasting and blogging dads who gather to gab about fatherhood.  The cast of dads includes C.C. Chapman, Jeffrey Sass, Max Kalehoff, Michael Sheehan, and Brad Powell, who collectively represent 13 kids from the youngest of babies to full grown adults. Each of them brings a unique perspective to being a father.

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes!and Social Networking Rehab.

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Posted in Advice, Cast of Dads, Fatherhood, Jeff Sass, New, Parenting, entertainment, podcasts | Comments Off

Mathowie’s iPhone Apps For Kids

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

It might look like I'm slow to finally link to Matt Haughey's recommended screenful of iPhone games for kids.

pee-monkey.jpg

But really, I was just waiting to see how long it would take his commenters to mention Pee Monkey, the best app for toilet training future Pikes or boys at sea.

Us, we get by on a mic-less, camera-less iPod Touch, which we try not to use in restaurants. Usually, it comes out at the restless end of a long drive--or a long flight. The kid is pretty good with Brushes, and she likes Labyrinth 3D, too.

But mostly we use it to watch a small collection of ripped YouTube videos [I download them using a Greasemonkey script installed in Firefox]:


  • vintage Sesame Street

  • Schoolhouse Rock

  • Pantsu Pankuro, the toilet training cartoons from NHK

  • Pitagora Suicchi's Rube Goldberg credit sequences

  • Carl Sagan


K2 has gotten alarmingly good at operating the video player herself. Makes me scared for the iPad.

My Recommended Kid Games [a.wholelottanothing.org]

Posted in Advice, gear not strollers, iphone, nhk, roadtrip, sesamestreet, toilettraining, travel, tv, youtube | Comments Off

From Chatroulette To Dadroulette!

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Next. Item ThumbnailNext. Next. Whoa! NEXT! Next. Hey now! Next. Next. Next…  If you have been clicking on “next” a lot lately, perhaps it is because you have been one of the millions of Internet users checking out the latest on-line fetish fad, Chatroulette.  If you live in a cave and haven’t yet heard of Chatroulette Jon Stewart gives a nice introduction here.  In essence, as the name quite literally states, Chatroulette is an anonymous video chat randomizer, allowing anyone with a webcam and Internet connection to essentially go speed dating through the motley morass that is humanity (at least the part of humanity that in 2010 feels compelled to test their inner voyeur, inner exhibitionist, or both!)  As with any new technology Chatroulette attracts pornography like a giant science lab magnet attracts iron dust, so be forewarned (and warn your Internet browsing children), Chatroulette is most definitely NSFW (not safe for work, or a home with kids for that matter).  Which is why we need, Dadroulette!

Dadroulette: Spinning Through Your Kids’ Lives?

Consider this post as an open request to the slick young Russian dude who created ChatRoulette to re-purpose his code for a good cause and please create Dadroulette.  Dadroulette would let us dads log on and “next” our way through the webcams of only our children, wherever they may be.  Sequestered in their bedrooms, in the computer lab at school, or at a friend’s house, wherever our kids are, Dadroulette would let us click through and be right there with them to check in and say hello.  I mean, if schools in Pennsylvania can do it, why can’t Dads everywhere?  Think how happy our kids will be to know that dear old dad loves them so much he wants to randomly pop up in their webcam while they are in their bedrooms and dorm rooms. Think how happy us dads will be to toss out any semblance of trust and responsibility and poke our pointy parental noses into the private lives of our progeny?  Awesome, right?  NOT!

Good Gimmick, Bad Idea

I hacked into the Chatroulette code and did a little test of my Dadroulette concept.  As the screengrab in this post documents, I came across my son in his apartment at college and my oh my, I found him hanging out with his roommates and one of them had, oh my gosh, A BEER!  I wanted to say hello and give him a fatherly lecture about responsible drinking but before I could finish unwrinkling my furrowed brow he went ahead and clicked “next”, sending me off to my daughter’s webcam, where I was equally shocked to find her doing her homework.  She looked up, gave me an exasperated, “Daaaad!” and “nexted” me off to chat oblivion.

The Real Roulette

Clearly, my satirical game of Dadroulette would in practice be a very bad idea.  However, I hope it helps illustrate a bigger point that we have written about before.  The Internet IS a game of Russian Roulette, especially for our kids.  At any given moment an on-line session can turn sour, exposing us to bad viruses and bad people.  Our digital trails do indeed go on our “permanent record” and can become a bullet in the chamber, shooting us in the foot when discovered by friends, family or employers.  From Chatroulette to Facebook, we can’t stress enough to our kids how important it is to be careful, cautious and to use common sense when hanging out in our digital world.  Chatroulette may be another good excuse to have that conversation with your kids again.

In the end, Chatroulette can be at once fun, funny, daring, disgusting, deplorable and delightful.  Just like the Internet.  Next!

What do you think??? Let’s chat about it in the comments…

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes! and Social Networking Rehab.

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Posted in Advice, Facebook, Humor, Jeff Sass, Kids and Teens, New, Parenting, Russian Roulette, Webcam, chatroulette | Comments Off

Cast of Dads #11: A Disaster Of A Show

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

As noted here, in this week’s episode of the Cast of Dads podcast we talk about how to be prepared for a natural disaster.  The topic was no surprise, since we recorded the show just hours after the earthquake in Chile was reported and while the world waited to see what coastal areas would be affected by the resultant tsunamis.  As usual for the Cast of Dads, we cover a lot of ground.  Living in an area frequented by hurricanes, this was a topic that hit close to home.  Speaking of hitting close to home, below is a picture I took outside my home after Hurricane Wilma…

Topics discussed on this episode:

  • Emergency preparedness for families
  • Earthquakes, wild fires, hurricanes, tornados & blizzards
  • Planning vs. Reacting
  • How does your school notify you about emergencies?
  • Steve Garfield’s French Toast Level Alert
  • The Media fueling panic with weather
  • How to deal with kids while going through a weather event
  • Technology solutions for disasters
  • Generators, Crank Up Radios & Battery Backups
  • Drobo
  • Getting rid of land lines
  • 911 Locations
  • What is in your car trunk?
  • Growing up on a sailboat
  • Remaining calm around the kids
  • Fear of kids in cars
  • I Saw Your Nanny
  • Nanny Cams
  • Finding your 13 year old driving
  • Fire Alarms & Smoke Detectors
  • The possibility of an upcoming “Mime Episode”

You can listen to Episode 11 here.

If you enjoy listening to Cast of Dads, pleased don’t forget to tell your friends about the show and have them subscribe to either our direct feed or via iTunes. Also, please leave us a review in iTunes!

Cast of Dads is a group of podcasting and blogging dads who gather to gab about fatherhood.  The cast of dads includes C.C. Chapman, Jeffrey Sass, Max Kalehoff, Michael Sheehan, and Brad Powell, who collectively represent 13 kids from the youngest of babies to full grown adults. Each of them brings a unique perspective to being a father.

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes! and Social Networking Rehab.


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Posted in Advice, Cast of Dads, Jeff Sass, New, Parenting, entertainment, family, podcasts, safety | Comments Off

Drinkin’ & Drivin’ The Dadwagon

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

So awesome, and yet so reasonable! CNN has a great story about Dadwagon's own Matt Gross, whose adorable 1-yo daughter is apparently harshing buzzes in bars all over Brooklyn.

I'd clicked the article open and was going to read it later, until someone retweeted it, saying, "Matt Gross, you sir, are an ASS."

Sounds like someone needs a drink. Or a nap.

Brooklyn brewhaha: Babies in bars [cnn via @dadwagon]

Disclosure: CNN once advertised Glenn Beck on this site. We both regretted it in the morning.

DRUNK COMMENTBRAWL UPDATE Holy Smokes, Dadwagon may be the first dadblog to need a bouncer. They've been overrun by an unruly mob of commenters ashamed to be drinking in front of a toddler.

Posted in Advice, News, alcohol, athomedad, awesome, brooklyn, citylife, dadwagon, dtadvertisers | Comments Off

Cast of Dads #10: Walking The Line Online

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

At the opening of this episode you will hear a promo for The Boom Effect, an auction and fund raiser for fellow dad and good friend Tee Morris who recently lost his wife.  Tee will be raising his little girl known as “Sonic Boom” on his own, and the Podcasting community has been very supportive with contributions and events such as this auction. The Cast of Dads encourages you to donate and help in any way you can to assist in making sure this little girl has what she needs as she grows up. Tee, our thoughts are with you!

This week the Cast of Dads faces off with Facebook as we talk about the challenges of raising kids in a digital world.  How old (or young) should kids be when they start using Facebook?  Does everything really end up on your “permanent record?”  These are just some of the things we cover in this episode:

You can listen to Episode 10 here.

If you have been enjoying the Cast of Dads podcast, please tell your friends about the show and have them subscribe to either our direct feed or via iTunes. Also, please leave us a review in iTunes!

Cast of Dads is a group of podcasting and blogging dads who gather to gab about fatherhood.  The cast of dads includes C.C. Chapman, Jeffrey Sass, Max Kalehoff, Michael Sheehan, and Brad Powell, who collectively represent 13 kids from the youngest of babies to full grown adults. Each of them brings a unique perspective to being a father.

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes!and Social Networking Rehab.

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Posted in Advice, Cast of Dads, Dads, Fatherhood, Jeff Sass, Kids and Teens, New, Parenting, entertainment, podcasts | Comments Off

DT Friday Freakout: Monday Makeup Edition

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Tell me why I don't like Mondays? Because they remind me that I have so many open browser tabs left over from the Friday Freakout I didn't do, I start out the week feeling behind.

So let's just clear the deck:

  • First off, is this The Onion? No, it's Psychology Today, where an actual psychologist actually attempts to diagnose Unhappy Hipsters--the tumblr--to show that Modernism causes depression. All those damn, greys and "muted colors," empty spaces, and "matte, bare surfaces." [psych today via unbeige]
  • OK, first, the idea that Modernism=minimalism=bare spaces and surfaces is a photo stylists' fantasy. So in fact, if Modernism makes its inhabitants/admirers depressed, it's only because of the impossible expectations foisted on them by design/lifestyle magazines.
  • And the idea that Modernism=greys and white is a mid-century misreading of black&white Bauhaus photos, compounded, perhaps, only very recently by too many West Elm catalogues. Go buy a red leather Ikea sofa, and you'll be consuming your way to happiness again in no time. Your 50 minutes are up, see you next week.
  • And anyway, this other article in Psychology Today says that it's not your architecture that makes you depressed, it's your parents. And your grandparents. The family that gets depressed together stays depressed together. [psych today]
  • Eh, cell phones probably don't cause brain tumors, say international researchers who won't let their kids put cell phones near their heads. [washington post]
  • Children are once again permitted to make noise in Berlin. Except at night and on Sunday. [bbc via dt reader dt]
  • "So if you are pregnant the 3 types of music that you must avoid are Rap, Grunge and Hard Rock." I might have to start a new regular feature that highlights the greatest advice expecting parents get. dreams and lullabies]
  • TV and the Internet will ruin your kid's ability to think and understand, says some curmudgeonly old Baroness who can't get past the second level of Little Planet. [birth to thrive]

Posted in Advice, Music, architecture, freakout, germany, modernism | Comments Off

The Gift of an Ordinary Day

Sunday, February 21st, 2010


Here’s an excerpt from Katrina Kenison’s wonderful book “The Gift of an Ordinary Day” that totally captures the beauty and power of being a parent, for both moms and dads. I loved what she shared here because it’s something that I realized a long time ago. It isn’t really all the big important events in our children’s lives that we will miss the most when they grow up but all those little moments that most of us take for granted. I try my best to take pictures and videos of the routine day to day things that we don’t usually notice because I know I will miss them so much some day. I call them little slices of life.

My kids are 11, 7 and 4 now. I still have time to savor many more of these magical extra-ordinary days but I also know that they will fly by in a heartbeat. I remember when my big Nicholas (11) was born and I could hold him in one hand…but now he’s almost as tall as I am! I also remember when Rachel (4) was this little pixie baby but now she’s this little lady so full of questions and strong opinions already (I know where she gets that from!). Then there’s Matty (7) , whom we called Peanut because he was so tiny but now he’s a dynamic little man full of life and wonder. I love each stage for all its worth but I also miss the ones we leave behind forever. I even miss the things we get rid of such as the cribs, the high chairs and changing tables. All part of the process of letting go… but I am still hanging on for dear life as long as I can.

Please watch Katrina as she shares this portion of her book. It truly says it all. I want to thank my wife Lori for finding this treasure and sharing it with me…along with those 3 little angels we spend our ordinary days with.

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They Say Truth Hurts, But Lying Is More Painful

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

LIAR.  It is a four letter word that can be far more hurtful than other familiar expletives. This is especially true when the liar in question is someone you love dearly and completely.  As parents we spend our lives hoping to instill in our children a sense of truth, trust and responsibility.  We teach them right from wrong, good from bad, love from hate.  More than anything we want them to grow up to become good people, and good people don’t lie.  Good people are trustworthy.

Kids Will Be Kids, But Is That An Excuse?

This week one of my kids was caught in a lie, a bad one.  Granted it wasn’t something life threatening or irreparable, and some might argue that it it was the kind of thing that “kids do” (especially teenagers and young adults). I’d argue that the activities and behavior that were lied about may be “typical” of the age and times, but for me that does not excuse the lying.  For me, nothing excuses a breach of trust.  For me, losing that trust in my child was a very painful slap in the face.

It Is Broken, Now Fix It!

As a parent, it is relatively easy to devise ways to punish our kids for bad behavior.  From “time outs” to “grounding” to docking allowance and temporarily restricting various privileges we have an arsenal of punitive parental ploys at our disposal.  However, there is no punishment I am aware of that in and of itself will restore my faith and trust.  That is something only my child can do on their own behalf.  That is something my child will have to work hard at, over time, for trust is not something one can restore with a single action, like the wave of a magical wand.  Trust must be earned, and regaining lost trust is even harder than earning it in the first place.

Perhaps that is why lying, exposed, is so painful.

What do you think?  How important is your ability to trust the words of your children.  What are the best ways for a child to regain their parent’s trust?  I know that time is on my side, and in the end my unwavering love for my child will make it all ok in the long run, but right now it is not the truth that hurts, it is the lie.

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes!and Social Networking Rehab.

Photo Credit: © Takus – Fotolia.com

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Food, Glorious Food??? Are We Feeding Our Kids To Death?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

(NOTE: usually my posts here are written originally for Dad-o-matic.  That said, I recently wrote on my personal blog about Chef Jamie Oliver’s impassioned and impactful speech about childhood obesity at the recent TED conference.  I realize that Chef Oliver’s speech would likely be of great interest to the Dad-o-matic crowd, so with permission from myself, I am reposting it here.)

My infatuation with TED continues.  I have yet to watch a TED Talk that I haven’t found thought provoking and inspiring.  It is really some of the best content you can find, and it is free!  I have written before about Natasha Tsakos and Philippe Starck’s amazing presentations.  If you want a deeper understanding of the TED conference, Robert Scoble has written an insightful overview.  This year’s TED just took place and according to reports, one of the highlights was Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver’s passionate talk on obesity in America.  He shares some shocking and revealing statistics about how our fast food nation is literally eating ourselves to death. As someone who can certainly afford to lose a few pounds I need only to look in the mirror and at many of the people I see day in and day out to recognize that Jamie speaks the truth, and how far we have lost our way when it comes to diet and food.  What do you think?  Do you and your family cook fresh food on a regular basis?  Do your kids know how to prepare a meal using “real” ingredients?  Are these basic skills our fast-paced, over processed society has left undone?  Food for thought…

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes!and Social Networking Rehab.

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