w: Johnathon E. Briggs

Blog Launch: Start the Beginning

Blog Launch: Start the Beginning

— June 17, 2017 —

It’s only too late if you never start. With these eight words, I formally launch my blog, Fatherhood@Forty. Welcome!

This blog has been 12 years in the making (in my head, at least). The germ of it started in 2005 when I set out to locate my biological father whom, at that point, I had not seen in 25 years.

I found him and wrote about the journey in a piece published in the Chicago Tribune on Father’s Day 2006. My reckoning with the past inspired me to reach out to my dad’s family, people peppered from California to Florida who knew I existed but didn’t know how to find me. They’ve helped fill in the missing pieces of my story.

I think Drake said it best: “Better late than never, but never late is better.”

Now here I am again. This time it’s Father’s Day 2017 and I’ve picked up more descriptors: Husband. Father. Suburbanite. Former Journalist. Public Relations Pro. 40-Something.

Last year, after I spoke on a panel for my 20th college reunion about “when life goes off script,” a classmate, apparently inspired by my remarks, pulled me aside and said, “If you had a blog, I would read it.”

So I’m starting this blog — finally. I think Drake said it best: “Better late than never, but never late is better.”

My graying hairline, unruly nose hairs and emerging love handles are signs of aging, to be sure, but also physical reminders of this truism: time waits for no one.

To my fellow fathers: take the first step this Father’s Day toward something you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t wait.

Start the beginning.

Father on,

277 words

6.17.17

Johnathon E. BriggsHusband • Father • Storyteller • #BlackDadMagic • ΑΦΑ

4 responses

Comments are closed.

Click To View All Comments

In memoriam: Tracy Airrion Pruitt

Pierced Ears Latest Sign Daughter Forging Own Life Path

Take a Moment for Yourself to be Your Best Self

Don't miss a post! Subscribe to Fatherhood@Forty via email.

© Legend - A Handcrafted Misfit Theme

Copyright © 2023 — Blank Canvas Studio, LLC | No use without permission

About

Few may know this, but twice as many dads of newborns today are now in the 40-plus age group, compared to the 1970s. Six weeks before my 40th birthday, I became a first-time father, hence the title of this blog.

This life-changing moment made me think about my own dad, who became a father at 43. As my parenthood journey unfolded, I noticed that most of my friends had become parents earlier in life yet, here I was, changing diapers and battling sleep deprivation at (nearly) 40. I told my wife, “Parenting is definitely a young man’s game.” But is it really?

Where most of my friends were preparing for their children’s middle and high school graduations, I was mastering the art of the swaddle, perfecting the one-hand baby wipe, and learning to decipher my daughter’s gurgles and whimpers. It occurred to me that I had so much more to offer my daughter at the sure-footed age of 40 than I did at, say, 28, when I was still coming into my own.

Fatherhood@Forty: Memoirs of a Gen X Suburban Dad™ is a creative outlet to share my experiences and connect with other (relatively) late-in-life dads.

Here are a few factoids about me, Johnathon Briggs, the editor behind this blog:

  • I’m a former journalist (Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune).
  • I love exploring Chicago and the Midwest with my family.
  • I remain on a constant quest to stay fit.
  • I support charities that fight HIV, uplift families affected by incarceration, and ensure African American boys graduate from college.
  • I’m a comic book geek (mostly Marvel, but a bit of DC and Image Comics).
  • I’m a child of the ‘80s, so please expect occasional references to the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

As a reporter for daily newspapers, I had the opportunity to interview fascinating people and to test out great products and brands for my readers. I hope to do the same for you as I blog about the moments that make up this adventure called fatherhood.

Feel free to tweet (@fatherhoodforty) or email ([email protected]) me if you’d like to collaborate or have ideas for a blog post.

Father on,

P.S. Check out The Art of Conversation podcast interview I did with Art Eddy from Life of Dad.

 


Disclaimer: Fatherhood@Forty may contain affiliate marketing links, which may result in commission on sales of products or services I write about. My editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

In memoriam: Tracy Airrion Pruitt

Pierced Ears Latest Sign Daughter Forging Own Life Path

Take a Moment for Yourself to be Your Best Self

Swim Lessons Teach Daughter, Dad to Navigate ‘Big Blue World’

Honoring My Father’s Wishes for a Beautiful Beginning

Is AI-Generated Art Biased Against Fathers of Color?

Resistant Eater Makes Meals a Challenge

Daughter’s Triumph Overshadows Neighbor’s Nasty-Gram

On Hiatus: Pursuing a New Dream in 2022

Vitiligo After COVID-19 Vaccination: Is My Daughter an Early Case?

View More

About

Few may know this, but twice as many dads of newborns today are now in the 40-plus age group, compared to the 1970s. Six weeks before my 40th birthday, I became a first-time father, hence the title of this blog.

This life-changing moment made me think about my own dad, who became a father at 43. As my parenthood journey unfolded, I noticed that most of my friends had become parents earlier in life yet, here I was, changing diapers and battling sleep deprivation at (nearly) 40. I told my wife, “Parenting is definitely a young man’s game.” But is it really?

Where most of my friends were preparing for their children’s middle and high school graduations, I was mastering the art of the swaddle, perfecting the one-hand baby wipe, and learning to decipher my daughter’s gurgles and whimpers. It occurred to me that I had so much more to offer my daughter at the sure-footed age of 40 than I did at, say, 28, when I was still coming into my own.

Fatherhood@Forty: Memoirs of a Gen X Suburban Dad™ is a creative outlet to share my experiences and connect with other (relatively) late-in-life dads.

Here are a few factoids about me, Johnathon Briggs, the editor behind this blog:

  • I’m a former journalist (Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune).
  • I love exploring Chicago and the Midwest with my family.
  • I remain on a constant quest to stay fit.
  • I support charities that fight HIV, uplift families affected by incarceration, and ensure African American boys graduate from college.
  • I’m a comic book geek (mostly Marvel, but a bit of DC and Image Comics).
  • I’m a child of the ‘80s, so please expect occasional references to the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

As a reporter for daily newspapers, I had the opportunity to interview fascinating people and to test out great products and brands for my readers. I hope to do the same for you as I blog about the moments that make up this adventure called fatherhood.

Feel free to tweet (@fatherhoodforty) or email ([email protected]) me if you’d like to collaborate or have ideas for a blog post.

Father on,

P.S. Check out The Art of Conversation podcast interview I did with Art Eddy from Life of Dad.

 


Disclaimer: Fatherhood@Forty may contain affiliate marketing links, which may result in commission on sales of products or services I write about. My editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Iris Awards Nominees 2021
Copyright © 2017-2023 Blank Canvas Studio, LLC | No use without permission