Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito, Carpinteria
Read about our MVP Dads...
Zaiden, Cara, and Michael
Michael's wife, Cara OCallaghan, told SBParent.com about her husband:
Michael is the dad every kid wants to play with! He is super involved in our son, Zaiden's, life. Michael joined me in taking on parenting in a more conscientious way when Zaiden was just a toddler. We both knew we wanted to be better parents than what our past experience was giving us. Michael took part in reading all the books and attending all the classes and really doing the work of being present with Zaiden. He gives him constant love and encouragement and most importantly he PLAYS with him. He's never the dad to turn away from play time. He gets down in the dirt, picks up the plastic sword, gets chased in the pool, draws, makes Playdoh creations, sings songs, and much, much more. You know when you imagined the guy you were dating with kids and wondered how they would be as a father? Michael FAR EXCEEDED any expectations I had of being an awesome Dad. (And actually, we are working with Angels Foster Care as part of their foster to adopt program - we are hoping to adopt a child through their program).
Lately it's minimalism: use less, consume less, reuse what already there. do without.
nature, Building things, organizing materials and space.
Self reliance; you don't need all the stuff you think you do.
Achieving a planned for goal thru focus and perseverance and discipline
Swimming across Golden Gate Bridge and completing Alcatraz swim in 38 minutes on my 38th bday, getting married, having child, maintaining health and fitness commitments for 25 years
Getting Married, Becoming a dad
Retired in planned solar powered eco-community in Costa Rica or Mountains somewhere and study yoga and permaculture lifestyle.
gym, beach volleyball, yoga and swimming
I worked as limo driver with dark suit with and mustache in L.A. for some time; was "professional" gambler for several years in Tahoe.
WLA/culver city/Santa Monica area
2
Alans Aqaurium in Venice CA, during high school
Pilot
Natural Cafe
Goleta Coffee Co
Genre: Jazz/Blues and downtempo groove remix styles
recent fave: simpsons, madmen
A few money management things
Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
Play Doh
The Need to stay active and productive
Love of typography and design
Saying No to clients or customers, unreasonabale requests, deadline stress to be creative on schedule
Five Buck$ Worth of Romance Advice
by Leon Scott Baxter
CouplesCommuttedToLove.com
When we hear the name Abraham Lincoln most of us think of the gentle-giant president, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation. Rarely do we see our sixteenth president as a romantic, but romantic he was. What a lucky woman Mary Todd was, for it was Lincoln who once said that the best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. Talk about 19th century smooth. His words rang true then, as their echoes resonate truth now in the 21st century.
I've seen the results of Lincoln's advice not so much as America's Romance Guru, but more through my eleven years as an elementary school teacher. I didn't make the connection at first, but after a few years, the pattern began to emerge. Those students who were polite and respectful, the ones who treated their peers well and were well-liked, tended to be the same children who wrote about both parents, who would have Mom and Dad attend parent conferences, and who always knew when it was their parents' wedding anniversary.
These parents spent time together. They made an effort to share special days with one another. The dads loved the moms, and the children could feel that.
When children see a strong, loving relationship between their parents, a sense of security, stability, and safety is anchored within them. "If Mom and Dad love each other so much, they must love us, too," children reason, feeling that nothing will separate the family in this world where over 50% of marriages end in divorce, and so many children are being raised in single-family households.
A strong bond between parents allows children to know that love is okay. Not just romantic love, but love for friends, family, pets, and teachers. They learn there's no shame in being kind. It's pleasing to make others happy. They will internalize these characteristics which will undoubtedly resurface during playdates, at school recess, and any other child-social gatherings.
Not only will your children become happier people, but the affection aimed at Mom will plant the seed for strong relationships for your children's future. Little ones may want to get in on Mommy and Daddy's hug or sofa-snuggle. Teens may tell you to "get a room". But, no matter how they react, they will see what love is, not from a TV sitcom, a PG-13 movie, an article in a teen magazine, or what their friends tell them. They learn love from you.
Legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, said, "The person you are is the person your children will be." What a powerful, poignant, and provocative statement. If it's true, we as parents have incredible responsibility to live our lives as we hope our children will live theirs. So, show them true love, for isn't love what we all strive for? Don't you want your children to find as loving a relationship as you have? Then... show them.
Buy Mom flowers. Tickle her when she washes the dishes. Have date nights without the kids. Hold hands in public. Snuggle on the couch. All the while, letting the kids see you love their mother.
Your children will develop into strong and healthy people whose relationships will blossom, while yours will stay as romantic as those days you were courting, all thanks to the man on the five. Thanks, Abe.
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Leon Scott Baxter is a father of two girls and has been married to his college sweetheart for seventeen years. As well as learning how romantic our country's forefathers were, Baxter is an author and offers relationship advice to couples via articles, seminars, books, workshops, and his website, CouplesCommittedToLove.com.
Each month we feature a dad making a difference in our community. We want to acknowledge working dads and stay at home dads. Suggest a dad by emailing us at info@sbparent.com .
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