Parenting 101

Parenting Advice From a Nurturing Father

There shouldn’t be criticism, critiques, or judgment on the kind of parenting each of us provides. I know I sound like a broken record when I say that there is no manual for raising a child. That’s because every parent has a unique approach. In my case, my advice, point of view, and recommendation comes directly from my experiences.

What Is a Parent?

A parent is a caregiver most of all. He or she serves as a caretaker of their children, teaching them about life and making sure they grow up healthy and independent. It’s not as simple as feeding an infant or teaching a toddler about letters.

It takes all the mind, body, and emotion of a father or mother to make sure that their offspring becomes a good individual.

My Role Models

By the time I was 15, my parents taught me everything I know. My mom and dad were the people who served as good examples of parenting. Even though they divorced when I was 16, they continued to stay as my role models. This was the time I started gaining worldly knowledge.

I feel lucky to have my parents because many children did not learn from theirs, either because they are not around or because of neglect. Worse still, some children are actively doing their best not to be like their parents because of bad experiences during childhood.

When I became a father, I felt an immediate responsibility to pass down everything good that I learned from my mom and dad. They were very different, and I feel very blessed that is the case. Learning from both of them equally has equipped me to pass on life knowledge to my daughter, Mia. With this insight, she will have the skills to thrive and make this world a better place.

It is my mission to be a role model for my daughter. I want her to teach every lesson I gave her to her children so they can, in turn, become model citizens.

Raising My Daughter

From the moment she was born up until today, I’ve been by her side. Her mom, Peggy, was very involved in raising her as well. In fact, since our divorce almost six years ago, we complemented our duties as parents in split custody. This was on a week-on week-off basis, and it has worked out amazingly.

I remember when my daughter was a newborn. I would hold her like a football and think to myself “Wow. She is one half of me, and I get to watch “myself” grow up right in front of my eyes.” Every parent should take this perspective. It is such an amazing opportunity for a mother or a father to see a person of his or her DNA figure out life and grow into a self-sufficient human being.

Watching Her Grow

When my daughter Mia was about 18 months, she started hitting her development stride. I took some time off to raise her while Peggy climbed the corporate ladder. During this time, I became obsessed with her development. I followed child development books week by week, gauging Mia's progress every moment I can.

As a parent does, I spent an extraordinary amount of time at the park with my daughter. Inevitably, I observed a lot of “parenting,” and lack thereof, while at that place.

I saw everything from the typical mother with the toddler to the nanny with the infant. I also noticed siblings that were sent together by their parents in hopes that the park would do the babysitting. Back then, I told myself repeatedly, “I could write a book about this, maybe a movie, or start a blog at the very least.” So this website is the result, and it has been a long time coming.