Survival Of The Dad – How To Be a Stay At Home Dad (And Not Go Crazy)

May 2, 2018 / Chris / 16 Comments

I have been a Stay At Home Dad (well, at least for the most part) ever since our son Benjamin was born back in July 2015. Today, almost three years in, I love every bit of it. However, that has not always been that way. Being a Stay At Home Dad can be intimidating and stressful, especially when you are just starting: So much stuff to manage, so much stuff to do, and no course in the world can prepare you for it! But, and that’s a HUUUGE “but”, at the end of the day it is downright the most rewarding “job” I’ve ever had.

Continue reading →

How To Spend Quality Time With Your Child – A Top 5 List Of Fun Activities

April 22, 2018 / Chris / 20 Comments

You may or may not be aware of the fact that in our family, I am the one who picks up our 3-year old son Benni from kindergarten at least four times a week. When I do that the challenge is always the same: How to make the best out of the time we are spending together on that particular afternoon? How to spend quality time with your child without just “doing something for the sake of it” and counting down the hours until mom comes home from the office?

That may sound a bit harsh. But if you are a busy parent who, besides working and being a mom or dad for the most part, also has interests and hobbies and basically a life of his own, you will most likely agree that keeping your kids entertained while having a good time yourself can be a real challenge.

Which brings me to the point that there is a huge difference between spending time together and spending QUALITY time. It is easy to just being with your kid and deliberately making an effort to make the best out of it you can! While the first is something we all can do “somehow”, the latter can be a real challenge. My goal is to be there for my son as much as possible when he is around; and that can become quite stressful, especially when you happen to run out of ideas.

Hence, in this blog post I want to look at the top 5 activities that I enjoy the most when it comes down to spending quality time with my son. I want to look at five top-level activities that you can leverage to enjoy time together with your kids. Activities, that you can enjoy together as a “team”. So let’s get started…

Continue reading →

The Best Video Games For Kids And Their Dads To Enjoy Together

April 19, 2018 / Chris / 12 Comments

Ever since I was a little kid, I was into computers and video games. I’m a techie and a nerd. I’m proud of it 🙂 And the reason for that is MY dad; and I can’t thank him enough for sharing his passion for early computer technology with me back in the 1980s and 1990s. He’s the reason why I became a computer scientist and a software engineer; and why I love video games to this very day.

Today, I am a dad myself. My #1 top goal, each and every day, is to be the best dad I can be for my son Benni. Part of that, I believe, is sharing with him the things I’m interested in and that I am passionate about! Benni is turning three years old this summer, and I remember that, quite some time ago, I started to wonder if it would be okay for me to introduce my son to the world of video games and share with him what it is that I do there, why I am passionate about it, and what makes it so special for me; and what the best video games for kids and their dads would probably be. Games that are fun to play for adults, but won’t be overwhelming for your kids. And games that encourage parents not just to consume, but to talk about with their children!

In this blog post, I want to elaborate on

why I think there is absolutely NOTHING bad about playing video games as a dad and
how you as a dad can enjoy your passion.

Furthermore, I will explain

why I think that it is not only okay but why I strongly believe that it is important that you do so!
I will go into how you can (and should) play video games with your kids, even if they are just three years old,
and what, I believe, are the 5 best games for kids and their dads to enjoy together

Discuss! 🙂

I know this blog post may trigger some discussion. That’s totally fine: I’m not saying that you have to agree with me. I just want to share my opinion and let you know what works for me. How I deal with video games and how I make this work in my family. If you disagree, then let’s have a real discussion in the comment section below!

Continue reading →

Why I Don’t Share Any Pictures of My Son Here

January 9, 2017 / Chris / 8 Comments

This block is 100% dedicated to my son, me and our toys. Yet, you won’t find any pictures of my son around here. “Why is that?”, you may ask.

Well, months before our son was born back in 2015, my wife and I made a decision: We will not share ANY pictures of our son on the internet.

You know, back in 2015, when our son was born, quite a few of our friends were expecting or had already toddlers, and many of them shared pictures of them on social media, blogs etc. A few of them even replaced their own profile picture with pictures of their kids. I never got my head around this, but our decision was clear: We don’t want that!

Let me put a quick disclaimer here:

In this post I am going to share my very personal opinion on posting pictures of kids on the internet. I am trying to explain why I *personally* think that it is a dangerous thing. However, I understand that you may not agree and that you may want to share pictures of your kids. If you decide that this is okay for you and your kid, I totally respect that. This article does not bear any intention to judge you or prove you wrong 🙂

Continue reading →

Make Your Birthday a Father Son Day

January 7, 2017 / Chris / 8 Comments

My 33rd Birthday: Free Admission At Our Local Theme Park "Phantasialand" — My 33rd Birthday: Free Admission At Our Local Theme Park “Phantasialand”

It’s my 33rd birthday today. At the time I am writing this I am standing in the line at the top roller coaster attraction of our local theme park, called Phantasialand, which is close to Cologne in Germany, the city where I live.

“So wait: You’re talking about a father son day, yet you are blogging at the same time!?”, you may think. And that’s a totally valid point. Let’s say: My Father Son Day plan had a pitfall I did not see coming! I’ll explain that later 🙂 Continue reading →