Category — Fatherhood

A great look at parenting and marriage.

The Blogfathers Blog Archive » Things I’ve learned about parenting and marriage - Dads You Can’t Refuse

We had wind damage to our house where our fence is a wreck, a broken window and roof damage. Thank God no one was hurt.

I love watching my oldest run into his school after a drop him off.  So full of excitement and wonder.

I love you infant crawling on top of me when I lay on the floor to watch TV.  He must think I am a mountain that needs to be conquered.

We had another bad storm last night and the weather sirens went off.  We huddled in the master bedroom walk-in closet until it passed. The second storm caused me to review my home-made emergency kit I leave in the closet.

• crackers
• bottled water
• weather radio
• first aid kit
• candy
• baby snacks
• dry cereal in a zip lock bag
• wash cloth and small towel

I picked these ideas up from other disaster resources and put all of it in a old paint bucket that has a lid.  If you are in a true disaster and can’t get out of your safety place, someone in the family will need to use the bathroom and a bucket with a lid is a lifesaver.

Mommy Bacchus was having a yard sale this past weekend and BJ was kind enough to give up many of his toys he no longer used. As a consolation, I agreed to set up a lemonade stand so he could raise funds to buy new ones, and below are things he learned while engaging in this entrepreneurial endeavor. Please keep in mind that BJ is in kindergarten.

You Need Customers and You Need Lemonade

Supply and Demand became very real to him. If I didn’t have another pitcher of lemonade waiting in the wings, he lost sales. So he asked me to always have a pitcher ready just in case he ran out.

Sometimes You Have to Ask for Business

How and when you ask, can determine if you make the sale. After about an hour I showed him how to wait until the customers walked close enough to the stand before asking. This was a problem because people were primarily stopping by the yard sale and he would scream at them as soon as they pulled up to the sidewalk. Ask nicely and you may receive a reward in return.

Money is a Tangible Thing

Making change became a real process other than completing a worksheet in school. He struggled with making change from a dollar most of the day (cup cost 25 cents), but finally saw the need to get it right. The big benefit was recognizing dines and nickels as being different from a quarter.

Check Your Product

We made a couple of practice pitchers before we got the right combination of Kool-Aid and sugar. We had fund testing it the night before. A bad batch could leave a bad taste in your mouth.

You Can’t Make Money if Your Not Available at Your Stand

After losing a couple of customers while playing with some friends in the yard, he was afraid to go to the bathroom without someone watching the stand for him.

The Wonders of Cross-Selling and Developing your Sale

After hearing me offer a free glass of lemonade to entice someone to buy some baby clothes, he starting doing it with some of his toys. He also heard me ask someone if they were thirsty and then suggest a glass of ice cold lemonade to satisfy that thirst.

A new toy fund is a great motivated for your kids, but I also found other ways to use a stand.

Take a Stand

Sunkist, with proud supporters Rubbermaid® and Domino®/C&H® Sugar, will soon be inviting kids 7 to 12 years old across America to Take a Stand® for their favorite charity. It’s a rewarding way to squeeze some fun into summer and give back to the community.

Last summer over 15,000 kids from every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada signed up to Take a Stand.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand

A unique foundation that evolved from a young cancer patient’s front yard lemonade stand to a nationwide fundraising movement to find a cure for pediatric cancer. Since Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004) set up her front yard stand at the age of four, more than $18 million has been raised towards fulfilling her dream of finding a cure for all children with cancer.

Overall, we had a blast and to top it off, he made $24.31. Just enough to get a new Pokemon DS game cartridge. I loved watching him act like a little business man and he was so excited about it. People liked what we were doing and the new toy fund got a great start. Watch out Donal Trump, BJ from Texas is on your tail…..

This is an interesting article discussing the portrayal of Black Fathers in advertising.

Fathers & Families Blog » Blog Archive » Black Fathers in the Media (Part II)

To borrow from African American Dad, I am

“One good black father among many”

Every once in a while I run across another good Black Father and it is quite refreshing to see and experience. I have always felt that a key to raising our sons starts with an involved father to teach and show them how to be men. If we had more black men involved with mentoring, tutoring, and parenting, then our communities will grow and develop. So I call on any man (not necessarily a father) to consider involving themselves with a black male. It could even be a relative, but attempt to do something. Although LL Cool J’s plan below is well intended, it is up to us to raise our sons not for them to come to us for help.

LL Cool J Calls On Young Blacks To Seek Out Father Figures - The Elements

See the results of a Swedish study to further emphasize the need for involvement.

Voice Online :: Black boys need their fathers

So what am I doing?

Starting at home with my two sons, but I do have nephews that need guidance, but they live out of state. They come to Dallas in the summer and we try to spend as much time with them as we can.  Beyond that, I need to get with a local school and start tutoring.  That’s a promise to myself to do my part.

Sharp Dressed Family

Originally uploaded by Ed Bacchus
This is my favorite picture of my dad, grandfather, grandmother, aunt and uncle. There is something special about black and white family portraits. Especially when they have their “Sunday Best” on and take it in their own home.

I admin a flickr group called Black Families. The strength of the black family is important to me and I love to see families posing together.

Yes, my oldest son has found his calling. I am now rest assured that my retirement can start immediately. To say the least, this rhyming talent has Mommy Bacchus horrified, and I have been admonished for encouraging such behavior. Her real issue is that he sometimes uses inappropriate words that can make first-time listeners uncomfortable. I say that parental encouragement with obvious talents can only help a child achieve success in other endeavors. Plus, with a little practice and training and (we) could win a Grammy.

See his latest work and you be the judge.

Boomp Boomp, Chalk;
Da Boomp Boomp, Chalk
Wash your hands,
Wash your hands,
Wash your stinky underpants…..
Boomp Boomp, Chalk,
Da Boomp, Boomp, Chalk

Repeat Chorus: over and over until you drive Mommy Bacchus crazy.

Look out Jay Z, BJ from Dallas, is coming at ya.

and it was exhilarating. Brought BJ with me so he could watch, but he was more interested in playing basketball in the gym next to us. Well, it’s over and boy am I glad. Pollster mentioned that the traffic has been higher this week than all his years working the polls. Based on his apparent age, he’s been around to make that statement. Wow….that felt great.

I ran across this post and just had to share it with others. It’s rare to see Black Fatherhood celebrated and not the butt of some comical skit on TV, so I find this book very refreshing and look to add it to my collection. Visit the Dodge and Burn Site for a review.

Dodge & Burn: Photo Book: “Pop: A Celebration of Black Fatherhood”

Visit AA Dad’s site and see, I am not alone.  “Sometimes you have to dance like no one’s watching.

AFRICAN AMERICAN DAD » DANCING WITH THE DEV