Archives for April 2015

In Dad’s Life Lessons On The Wall, I shared an easy and loving way to teach your child important life lessons. Perhaps one of my lessons is one of yours? Rule #2: Negative thoughts eat away at your brain. Don’t let this happen. On seven-year-old Zachary’s wall is a picture of an acidifying apple. A […]

Ever think “I should write that down” when your child says something funny? I use Twitter for that. Here’re some Tweet-worthy comments from my boys. Six-year-old Zachary “Guess what, Daddy?” What, Zach? “I was the first one to see Santa after he ate his lunch!” “I pooped extra for you.” Dad: “Why?” Zach: “So you […]

A friend at work told me how he got his teenage daughter to stop lying years ago. After she told a lie, he said, “OK, you’ve shown your mom and me that it’s ok to tell a lie in this family. So we’re going to start lying to you.” “You can’t do that,” she protested. […]

Inspired by fellow Dad-o-Matic author Brendon Connelly and his Photowalking with kids, here’s five easy steps to family fun. 1. Get camera. 2. Go to Party City or equivalent. 3. Try on ridiculous hats / glasses. 4. Photograph. 5. Repeat. Have fun! From Joe, Beth, Zachary, and Lucas Hage! P.S. We bought Lucas’ birthday candles […]

We were driving today when we passed a sullen man on a corner waving an arrow back and forth. “Going out of business sale,” his sign said. I asked six-year-old Zachary, “Do you think he likes his job?” “No,” he answered. I told him I felt sad for the man. Sad that he wasn’t able […]

Four-year-old Lukey got in trouble today. Hitting at school. This after yesterday’s “pushing game” at school and the day before’s “spitting at school.” Now his mom and dad are on strike. And we kept him home from school today. Going on strike Lukey gets what “going on strike” means. It means he’s drained our energy. […]