I’ve never done anything serious for Lent, but this year I’ve been feeling a real need to do something to help me contemplate the season and prepare for Easter. One of the traditions of Lent is giving up fatty food, and in a way I’d like to do that. Only, the fat that I want to give up is Facebook and Twitter. To me, these are like the fat of the internet. Very tasty, but very bad for you if not used in moderation. I’ve found that recently I spend far too much time engrossed in these networks, with my attention split in too many different directions. I’d like to spend my time and attention on other things, at least for a little while.

So, from now until Easter, I’ll be abstaining from Twitter and Facebook. I’ve removed the apps from my iPod touch, removed the bookmarks from my phone and web browsers, and cleared them from my browser history. I will challenge myself not to read or post anything to Facebook or Twitter. I won’t post photos to Facebook or Twitter via my phone. I’ve disabled all notifications from Twitter and Facebook except for direct messages (i.e. if you comment on one of my previous Facebook posts, I won’t know about it, unless of course someone tells me), and my hope is that if I do get a message, I’ll be able to respond via email, so as not to need to log in to the site. I’m grateful that my job requirement doesn’t include the use of Twitter or Facebook, as that would make things very difficult.

So if I’m giving these things up, what do I hope to do with this time? I’d like to write more, specifically in blog entries. I’d like to have more in-person, telephone, or email conversations with people. I’d like to do more thinking and more focusing. I’d like to do better quality work, and spend more quality time engaged with my friends and family.

I realize that there will be challenges. People will undoubtedly ask if I’ve read such and such a thing that was posted on Twitter or Facebook, and I won’t have, unless it came across some other channel like a blog or email message. Sometimes I may have an impulsive, instinctive inclination to pop over to one of these websites just to ‘see what’s up,’ but I hope to minimize or eliminate that. And I do realize that Facebook and Twitter are increasingly becoming a legitimate channel for events, collaboration, and communication. If nothing else, maybe this will be a great lesson in the impact of social networking in modern society, and what the consequences are when you tune yourself out. Maybe within a few days I’ll be crazy and screaming and running right back. I don’t know. It’s a challenge!

So, if you want to get a hold of me, you can find my email on the contact page. I’ll still be reading my news feeds, reading and sending email, answering my phone. I’ll still upload photos to our gallery, and I’ll probably still share funny photos and links… I’ll probably just email them to specific people instead of posting them for all to see. If you want to find out what’s going on in my life, check out this blog, or, just ask me! If you want to comment, leave a comment on this blog!

I hope that you have a meaningful Lent. Let me know if you’ve chosen to do anything in particular to prepare for Easter.

If you are reading this post through a feed reader, you might not have noticed that I’ve got a log of interesting parenting links running down the right hand side of the page. Visit NPDITC and check it out. There’s also an RSS feed for it, if you like.

Speaking of RSS, I posted over at World Wide Wood about a terrific video that explains just what RSS is and why you should use it. Highly recommended viewing for everyone.

Finally, I’ve changed the settings on this blog so that you can leave a comment without having to register and log in to an account. Maybe it’s just that none of my posts have warranted a comment yet, but in any case, I’d like to make it a bit easier for everyone.

Thanks for visiting, and stay tuned for more actual parenting content!

If you haven’t noticed, dads aren’t exactly the cat’s pajamas these days. From their portrayal on television, often as insensitive, clueless oafs, to the notable absence of fathering resources in print and online journals, dads are often treated as second-class citizens. This treatment is not totally undeserved – there are a lot of terribly misguided fathers out there, from the jerks who leave their wives and kids to the well-meaning dads who are nonetheless ignorant of their families’ needs. However, I don’t think that the dads are entirely to blame. Society and the media have done little to help shape up dads – probably because of the old adage that there’s more money to be made in prolonging the problem than there is in finding a solution. We’ve spent enough time complaining about dads; now we need to do something to help them. We need dads to have more positive role models, more resources, and a higher standard of living. I’d like to help do my part by filling this website with my thoughts, observations, research, and musings on the subject of being a better dad. I’ll also mix in posts about interesting or funny parenting news, gadgets, and life updates from my family. I hope that my readers will join me on this quest to improve the lives of dads, as well as moms, kids, and anybody else who finds the information useful or thought-provoking.

This website is dedicated to my loving and supportive wife Rebecca, who encouraged me to share my thoughts. This website is also dedicated to my beautiful daughter Catherine, on the occasion of her first birthday. Together, Rebecca and Catherine are my motivation for becoming a better father, husband, and person.