Fatherhood Factor

For all the "dealings" of dads...

Keagan Pearson

Parenting Tips on Smartphone Usage

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It’s a smartphone world today, so what does that mean for your kids? If you’re like many parents, you appreciate the idea of being able to reach your children in an emergency. However, you also worry about the risks of letting them go online alone.

How soon is too soon to buy your kids a phone? How do you know if your children can handle the responsibility? Have you thought through the risks? If you do buy a phone, what steps can you take to monitor and protect your children while they are using it?

To help you answer these questions, the following slideshow showcases some helpful information about kids and smartphone use. Learn more about safe and responsible smartphone use for adolescents — and kids — in this resource.

A Dad’s Guide To Matching Pasta With Sauce

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When you’re looking for a fast, easy, crowd-pleasing homemade dinner option for your family, it’s hard to beat the appeal of pasta and sauce. Whether you cook with spaghetti, rotini or something else, there is a world of options available for making that pasta delicious. Make some fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna Bolognese or bucatini with tomatoes and cream. One factor to keep in mind as you’re planning your meal, however, is that not all kinds of pasta complement all sauces interchangeably. In fact, the shape and size of pasta have a direct impact on the best sauces to go with it.

How can you know what pasta to use with what sauce? To help you make the most of your meal plans, here are a few key pairing tips to keep in mind:

  1. Skinny noodles are versatile. Pair spaghetti or angel hair with tomato sauce, meat sauce, cream, vegetables, oil/butter or seafood.
  2. Flat noodles absorb sauce. Long and flat ribbons of noodles are great for thick sauces, as they have more surface area for soaking up sauce.
  3. Tube pastas pair well with thinner sauces. Short and long pasta tubes like macaroni or rigatoni work beautifully with holding thin sauces.
  4. Tiny pastas are ideal for soups. Wondering what to do with a tiny pasta type, such as pastina? Try it in soup. Other good possibilities include salads and baked pasta dishes.

When it comes to pasta and sauce, you’ll get more from your mealtime when you think strategically about your pairings. The tips above are a great place to start. Are you interested in learning more about pasta types and sauces? Check out the full breakdown of smart pairings in the helpful infographic from DeLallo Foods below.


Matching Pasta With Sauce Guide from Italian Food Supplier DeLallo Foods

A Step-By-Step Guide To Moving With Kids And Pets

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Moving into a new home can be one of the most stressful situations of your life. You’re not just relocating all your belongings, you’re changing your life. It’s no wonder that some people believe moving into a new home is more stressful than getting a divorce. As stressful as moving can be, preparing kids and/or pets could make it even more stressful — as the emotional burden they carry throughout the process can be even greater.

For young children and pets, routines are very important. Children experience constant changes as they grow and develop, so the security of familiarity — such as bedrooms or backyards — provides some much-needed stability in their lives. For pets, any changes to their routines and surroundings can be upsetting. In both cases, moving to a new house can throw their lives into upheaval. Unless you pay special attention to their needs before, during and after the move, children and pets could become withdrawn, scared or depressed.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to make the moving process potentially less stressful for your children and pets. For example, you can help kids adjust to the idea of moving by letting them choose the color of their new bedrooms. With pets, you can help them adjust by taking them for long car rides (if you’re moving long-distance). Packing your children’s favorite items in the same box can help them feel more comfortable by knowing where they are, not to mention easily accessible after the move. Leaving pets with a sitter could help to keep them occupied. Once you arrive at the new house, you can help kids and pets settle in by arranging their belongings as similar as possible to the layout of the old house.

These and other tips for all stages of the moving process can be found in the guide created by University Moving and Storage below.

Being a Parent is Hard – Especially Without Sleep

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Being a parent is not an easy task.

When dealing with school, soccer games and homework, things can get a little hectic. In moments like these, your health and sleeping habits can be overlooked, leading to a state of sleep deprivation. This can cause many problems, from obesity to stress, to poor judgment and many other negative effects.

By adjusting your routine and habits, however, this is something you can tackle and control.

The Virginia Spine Institute has created a guide to help rid of the effects of sleep deprivation and to help you get through daily life happy and energized:

The Northwest Keeps You Rooting for the Home Team

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As a native Arizonan that’s now living in the New England, there are a few things that I’ve been unwilling to relinquish: My taste for authentic Mexican food, an unwillingness to drop my “R’s”, and my support of the Arizona Cardinals.

The first two were relatively easy to pull off, but the support of a team that’s not the New England Patriots, in a place where that’s the only team that matters, tends to be a little more challenging. I have to admit that I’ve never really been one to decorate with sports team garb, but I’ve been rethinking that lately. For the first time in my life the brandishing of team colors feels more like a survival tactic than a past-time.

Coincidentally, that’s when FatherhoodFactor.com was contacted by The Northwest asking if we’d like to review one of their products. I thought, “It’s football season, I live in New England, why not get a blanket?”

So, the fine folks at The Northwest shipped off this Arizona Cardinals NFL “Touchback” Raschel Throw for us to check out!

Now, there’s some specific, but simple criteria that I stick to when calculating the quality of blanket or throw:

  1. Does it provide warmth?
  2. Does it feel cheap and synthetic or plush and comfortable?
  3. Can you display it in the house without wanting to burn down the room where it sits?

I can say that my experience teetered in the positive direction.

The throw checked all of the right boxes. Although it was polyester, it actually felt more like cotton. The colors were bright, but not so crazy that you’d be scared to display it, and it provides plenty of comfort when it’s chilly.

Our recommendation? Give them a shot!

**Product reviewed was provided to FatherhoodFactor.com for free of charge**

Root Canals; A Kids Picture Story

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As your child grows and develops, they’ll begin to lose their baby teeth, but the premature loss of these teeth can create a unique problem for your child.

Premature tooth loss is due to tooth decay and infection. Because a child’s tooth and jaw is not fully developed, this problem can result in the loss of permanent teeth in the future.

Learn how to protect your child and their baby teeth today through pulpotomy treatment.

The below graphic was compiled and designed by Grove Dental Associates, creating beautiful smiles every day.

Root Canals For Children