Fatherhood Factor

For all the "dealings" of dads...

Fatherhood Factor Team

Unexpected Benefits of Reading to Your Child

By Leave a Comment

There are so many different opinions and approaches to raising kids that your head can spin. As soon as you and your partner announce you’re expecting, your parents, siblings, in-laws, and friends all chime in with stories of their own triumphs and failures in childrearing.

There’s one bit of advice that most parents and childrearing systems agree on, and that’s the necessity of reading to your children. Reading aloud to kids helps build language skills, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and social skills. The closeness and bonding that happens over a storybook is something every parent cherishes. But there are some additional, unexpected benefits of reading to your child.

Lifelong Literacy

Research has shown that just keeping a substantial number of books in your home benefits children. Kids who grew up in homes with large home libraries grew into adults that were more proficient not just in literacy, but also in “numeracy,” and in using technological means of communicating with others.

The benefit was apparent even in people who never graduated from high school: if they grew up in a home with a large number of books, their literacy level was on a par with people raised with fewer books around who had nevertheless earned college degrees.

Coping Skills

Many children’s books directly address some of the difficulties kids face as they grow up. Children’s authors have sensitively addressed teasing, anxiety over visiting the doctor, hurtful rejection from friends, or even the pain of losing a grandparent. Reading books that depict ordinary kids coping with these issues can help a child forge resilience to overcome the obstacles life puts in their path.

Parents can even help their children with developmental issues like outgrowing thumb-sucking by reading books together that present changes that happen when growing up. For kids with physical or intellectual differences, seeing a portrayal of a kid like them in the pages of a book can be reassuring and empowering.

Building Empathy and Self-Regulation

Children who are read to regularly demonstrate greater empathy for others. They have the ability to step into another’s place and see things from different perspectives. That’s a soft skill that employers value later in life, another of the more unexpected benefits of reading to your child. Kids who are read to also develop better self-regulation skills and attention spans.

Fostering Imagination While Separating Reality from Fantasy

Readers know the delight and the thrill that comes from losing themselves in stories that depict imaginary worlds. Kids love to pretend, and books that take them to a princess’s castle, a dragon’s lair, or a wizarding school become favorites for life. A love of fantasy can become the basis for friendships and adult affinity groups.

But as kids grow up, they must face how things happen in real life. Heroes in stories can inspire kids to take on real-world challenges and work hard to overcome problems. Stories also help them learn the difference between the fictional world in their favorite books, and the reality of what happens in school, on the playground, and around the family dinner table.

Fun Ways To Involve Your Kids With Interior Design

By Leave a Comment

There are few joys greater than watching your kids explore their passions and interests in life. However, sometimes introducing them to new things is the best way to spark some serious enthusiasm. Consider these fun ways to involve your kids with interior design during your next home project.

Have Them Create a Rough Draft

Whether through an online simulation program or crayons and paper, letting your kids have a say in what their rooms look like is a lot of fun. It’s important to emphasize what the room “could” look like and avoid making promises about the final result. However, implementing a few design elements is a straightforward way to get them giddy and excited about their room’s design.

Ask About Details

While most kids don’t know the finer details that go into the interior design process, they are more than capable of identifying colors and describing textures. Once they’ve told you what they like, you can match design elements to their preferences. For example, their preferred textures can help you determine which of the most popular rug fibers would suit them best. You can also pick out lightbulbs according to their preferred lighting warmth! Sometimes the descriptions your kids will offer will be simple, but they might also surprise you with some detailed contributions.

Record Their Work

Pictures of the rooms your children create for themselves allow them to look back on the past and witness their personal progress firsthand. When they’re older, your child might wonder how they thought their initial designs were stylish or cool. But in the end, they will look upon the experience as a fond memory they are thankful to have. Being able to improve on their past designs is also a bonus that creative kids will appreciate.

There is no telling what your kids are going to grow up to be. However, the doors you open for them occasionally lend them the chance to discover something special about who they are. You can connect with your children and inspire them to explore their creative sides by considering these fun ways to involve your kids with interior design.

Is Dating OK When You’re Separated but Not Divorced?

By Leave a Comment

Most marriages have rocky patches. Some couples become stronger, having worked through their issues and found a new commitment to their relationship. Others, however, discover that their marriage is truly over and take steps to move on.

Legal separations allow couples who have serious trouble in their marriage to take a break while remaining married. Some people who establish a legal separation feel they need to test new relationships to assess how strongly they feel about staying with or ending things with their spouse. But is dating OK when you’re separated but not divorced? Opinions differ, but if you’re considering dating while separated, you should think hard about the potential implications.

Dating Is a Signal You’re Done

A separation is supposed to be a time to regroup and sort out what you want. If you dive into dating, you’re sending a signal that you’re done with your marriage. It can destroy your spouse’s incentive to reconcile. If you are already involved in an extramarital relationship, your separation is probably just a way station on the road to divorce.

Dating While Separated Can Have Legal Consequences

Depending on the law in your state and the type of separation (trial, legal, or permanent), dating someone who is not your spouse while separated can have legal consequences. Your spouse could sue your new partner for “alienation of affection,” and your spouse can accuse you of adultery, which in some states will put you at a disadvantage in future divorce proceedings. You could put your property interests at risk, and you will damage your position in negotiations about child custody.

Dating Complicates Things for Your Children

When you and your spouse agreed to separate, you probably also agreed on how to explain it to your children. If you start dating someone else, even discretely, your children will likely find out. They could be hurt, confused, and angry. Think hard about the effects it could have on your children before getting together with someone new before you’re divorced.

Are You Emotionally Ready To Date?

Dealing with a separation presents profound emotional issues. You are getting used to living apart or sharing a home but keeping an awkward distance from your spouse. Ask yourself if you want to date for all the wrong reasons. Do you want to make your spouse jealous, revenge for infidelity, or do you want to try to recapture a past version of yourself that simply doesn’t exist anymore.

Don’t kid yourself. If you’re asking yourself, “Is dating ok when you’re separated but not divorced?” you should take a step back and focus on the reasons you and your spouse separated. Take the time to figure out whether you want to fight for your marriage or proceed with a divorce.

Fun Activities That the Whole Family Can Do

By Leave a Comment

Having a family is incredibly exciting, but finding something everyone can do together can be hard. There’s always one person who isn’t interested in the particular activity or gets left out, and then no one has a good time. You need to find some activities that everyone can do together and enjoy all at the same time. Read on to learn about some fun activities that the whole family can do together.

Play a Board Game

Everyone has played a board game at one point or another, but playing one as a family can be a little different. Everyone in your family probably has different preferences due, in part, to their age. The older kids may want to play something more complex than the younger kids, so it can be hard to find the right game at first. However, with that said, trying out many different games can be lots of fun. Sure, there will be some duds here and there, but that won’t ruin the evening. The fun comes with finding the right game for you. Once you do, you’ll have years of game nights that everyone looks forward to!

Go Off-Roading

Off-roading is a fun activity that almost anyone can do, and it’s an experience no one will forget. Whether you have a Jeep or a Toyota, you must prepare it for your off-roading adventure to ensure that everyone stays safe and has fun. Then, it’s smooth sailing from there! Everyone can pile into the car while you go on some unique trails and view sights that no one in your family has seen before. However, you must remember that going off-roading also means the experience will be a little bumpy or uncomfortable. Listen to everyone and slow down when necessary to keep everyone happy and feeling good!

Have a Movie Night

While everyone in your family may like some different movies, that doesn’t mean you can’t all enjoy the evening watching one together! Creating a movie night is exciting. And having multiple gives everyone a chance to choose a film they enjoy. Order some pizza, make some popcorn and drinks, and then settle in for a cozy evening. Since you’re the parent, you should probably let the kids pick the movies on most weekends to ensure they stay entertained. However, at the end of the month, the parent’s movies can come out, and you can show your kids some of your favorite films of all time!

The whole family can have fun with these activities and not feel left out! Of course, every family is different, so you shouldn’t just do these activities without listening to the opinions of everyone in your family. Take their opinions and figure out what works best for everyone!

Reasons To Update Your Home’s Insulation

By Leave a Comment

Insulation provides excellent benefits for every home, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last forever. There may be signs that your home isn’t properly insulated, or that your insulation needs replacing. Updating your insulation will provide many advantages to your house. Keep reading to explore the many reasons.

Noise Reduction

Do you live on a noisy street? Can you hear your kids talking while they play in the basement? Updating your home’s insulation can help reduce the amount of noise that enters your home. Likewise, it can help keep noise levels down between rooms in your house.

Add updated insulation to areas such as bedrooms, offices, and basements. You’ll appreciate the quiet while the world around you continues being busy.

Improve Your Comfortability

If you find that your home is incredibly cold during the winter and insanely hot during the summer, the culprit could be that your home’s insulation isn’t adequate. Your first guess is to look at the HVAC system, but if your furnace and AC turn on, then it’s time to look closer at your insulation.

The inside air your system works hard to produce is escaping through inadequate insulation and leaks. Soon, you’ll be enjoying a comfortable temperature without touching the thermostat. You can set it and forget it!

Lower Your Energy Bills

Every homeowner appreciates saving money on their bills. Insulation is an effective way to keep your energy bills down. The more efficient your insulation, the less your HVAC system needs to run, equaling less energy consumption.

Increase Your Home’s Value

Potential buyers will appreciate the house’s new, updated, modern insulation. Buyers also welcome eco-friendly and energy-efficient homes. Contact a local insulation installer to discuss the best insulation option for your home. It could mean the difference between your house sitting on the market for months and selling within the first couple of weeks.

Insulation can do more than save you money. The above reasons mean you’re making the wise decision to update your home’s insulation. There are several types of insulation to choose from, and your insulation installer will help you decide. You’ll wonder why you never got around to it and created a healthier home environment.

Easy Ways To Turn Your Home From Boring to Interesting

By Leave a Comment

A home is an extension of who you are. It’s your home, and when people visit, they look at your design and decoration choices, forming impressions of who you are. Of course, you want those impressions to be good, which is why you need to make your home exciting. Read on to learn about some easy ways to turn your home from boring to interesting.

Don’t Be Afraid of Color

One of the best things you can do to make your home more visually attractive and stand out from the crowd is not to be afraid of color. Over time, color has slowly disappeared from our lives in favor of the more widely inoffensive grays, whites, and blacks. It’s a sound strategy, but it has resulted in a drab and dreary world, and to combat this, you shouldn’t be afraid to add color to your home. You should try and have a cohesive color scheme you work with, but feel free to go a little wild with it.

Pick Some Unique Decorations

To make your home more interesting, you should consider adding some unique, more off-the-wall decorations. Home good stores like Target, Jo-Ann, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels all have a lot of different decorations, but they are pretty standard, and there’s not a lot of uniqueness among them. You could go down the route of hanging up your child’s art, but this can only do so much.

Instead, you should consider investing in some quality art and sculptures. However, there’s a lot to know about owning and displaying a sculpture, such as location and maintenance. Once you figure all that out, you can make your home pop with the beautiful addition of a statue.

Incorporate Nature

Another thing that you can do to make your home more appealing and less boring is to add some natural elements. Plants, flowers, open windows, floral scents, etc., are great for giving your home some flavor and dimension. However, it’s easy to go overboard, so you should try and keep things reigned in a little bit so that you don’t make your home overwhelming for any guests or yourself. The additions should also be tasteful. For example, a lovely bouquet can bring a lot to a space, but it should work with the other decorations and colors in your room—otherwise, it will feel out of place.

Turn your home from boring to interesting with these simple design tips, and you’ll never be happier. In addition to impressing guests, a more exciting home is also great for living. Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming, but the color and natural elements can raise the mood in the space and leave you feeling much better.

What Is a Timing Belt and When Should You Replace It?

By Leave a Comment

Replacing a car’s timing belt is one of the car maintenance issues most car owners dread. The process can be labor-intensive, depending on the model of the vehicle. However, timing belt failure can leave you or a family member stranded at the side of the road. Here’s what you need to know about timing belts and when to replace them.

What Is a Timing Belt?

The timing belt is a crucial part of every car’s engine. It helps synchronize the crankshaft and camshaft, which turn combustion into motion. Since the intake valve and pistons can’t exist in the same space at the same time, the timing belt ensures that they each take turns without colliding.

If your timing belt breaks, you could end up with serious engine damage that will make routine timing belt maintenance look like a piece of cake.

When To Replace Your Timing Belt

Many manufacturers recommend having your car’s timing belt changed at a certain mileage, but this number is only an estimate. You should replace your timing belt when it gets old or worn, and offering a mileage estimate is the best guess that manufacturers can make.

Here are all the reasons it could be time to replace your timing belt:

  • The car has been sitting unused for a long time.
  • You haven’t replaced the timing belt in seven or more years.
  • You’ve reached the manufacturer’s mileage recommendation.
  • You notice oil seals from the timing belt cover leaking onto the belt.
  • The exterior drive belts have started to crack.

Since rubber dries out when it’s not in use, it’s critical not to leave your car sitting for long periods. When you see that your other drive belts start to crack, you can often assume that your timing belt might be cracking too.

Managing Family Vehicles

If you have multiple vehicles in your family, it’s a good idea to make everyone aware of the dangers of timing belt failure. Have everyone record the maintenance for their vehicles so that you can make sure that people aren’t losing track of the more long-term maintenance repairs.

Hopefully, this guide to timing belts and when to replace them will help you and your family members stay safe. Routine maintenance may be a hassle, but emergency repairs are much worse.