Another record month for Dadsworld

April 2009 set yet another record for the number of visitors to the www.dadsworld.com website!  Thank you for helping spread the word about our site which promotes invovled Dads, a cornerstone of strong families.  We will continue to bring you original content and great features, so keep telling your friends and families about our great website!

The winner of the May 2009 free t-shirt drawing is Rick Peterson of Mantorville, Minnesota.  Congratulations Rick!  Be sure to sign up on the home page of www.dadsworld.com to become a member which gets you entered into our monthly drawings and gives you access to member discounts at our vendors.

Dadsworld would like to say “thank you” to all of you who voted for our blog at the Chapeau Blog awards site.  We will find out next week how we did in the finals! 

Be sure to get your “Dad for life” shirt from our store if you haven’t yet.  They proclaim your proud status as an involved Dad, and they look great too…  they also make excellent gifts!

Our son is now sleeping in his bed without getting up.  The first night he got up nearly 200 times.  The second night, just 3 and the 3rd night he only got up once.  Tonight he stayed in bed and went to sleep!  Great transition from his crib into the new bed.  We lavish him with praise when he gets up in the morning, and he occasionally also gets a “prize” for staying in bed for his naps and at night.  His preferred “prizes” are hotwheels.  They have come in very handy for potty training as well as bed training.  We have found that praise and an energetic, positive response works far better to get the desired behavior than threats and punishment do for misbehavior. 

Lately, he has really been testing his boundaries, which has required an unprecedented amount of patience from my wife and I.  Being a very involved Dad myself, the biggest challenge for me over the past 3 years has been to stay patient and gentle when I am nearing my boiling point.  You hear about how frustrating being a parent can be, but until you are in the situation, you just don’t understand the level of frustration a toddler can create.  Combine their natural instincts to push the limits with your lack of quality sleep, then throw-in a financial recession and uncertainty, and you have a recipe for frustration and a lack of patience.  Then, add an 8 month old little sister who has constant feeding and attention needs, and it will really test you. 

Whatever your outlets for venting are, be sure to use them.  Late night runs, video games, working out, etc.  Find a way to blow-off steam that’s healthy and doesn’t hurt your family.  If you have young children, you will need these outlets from time to time, so just expect it.

We are working on the next Dad of the Month interview, so stay tuned!