@Forty Blog

@Forty Blog

Person of Interest: Lola Dada-Olley – Not Your Mama’s Autism Podcast

By her own account, Lola Dada-Olley has lived with autism in some way, shape, or form for more than three-quarters of her life. Her baby brother was diagnosed with the developmental disorder at the age of three in 1989, a time when intensive behavior therapy was just beginning to show promise as a treatment. Then...

Person of Interest: Lola Dada-Olley – Not Your Mama’s Autism PodcastJohnathon E. Briggs

What I’m Reading: My August List of Books

In the midst of this pandemic, one of the things I've been grateful for (in addition to stable employment and good health) is having more time to sit down and read a book—thanks to the absence of a daily commute. When I was a journalist, I had an editor who often asked, "What'cha reading...

What I’m Reading: My August List of BooksJohnathon E. Briggs

A Fatherhood Flashback on My Daughter’s Birthday

— August 2, 2020 — Inside the giant gift bag emblazoned with balloons and a festive flamingo, laid a trove of dollar store treasures my wife had picked out for our daughter's 6th birthday. Among the items: a pair of 20-inch butterfly wings (with shoulder straps), two Slinkys, a Toy Story puzzle, a spiral notebook...

A Fatherhood Flashback on My Daughter’s BirthdayJohnathon E. Briggs

Preparing for a School Year Like No Other

— July 19, 2020 — The long-awaited email from our local school district arrived the evening of July 13 with a generic subject line that underscored the importance of its content: “2020-2021 Return to Learn Plan.” Ever since schools closed nationwide in March to help halt the spread of novel coronavirus, my wife and I—like millions...

Preparing for a School Year Like No OtherJohnathon E. Briggs

What Are Dads Made Of? A Dad-Lib For Father’s Day

— June 20, 2020 — I launched this blog, Fatherhood@Forty, three years ago on Father's Day. At the time, my daughter was two months shy of her third birthday and I was still getting used to this thing called fatherhood. The blog has come a long way since then. My writings have appeared on Fatherly, Scary...

What Are Dads Made Of? A Dad-Lib For Father’s DayJohnathon E. Briggs

Person of Interest: Robyn Price Pierre – Creator of the FATHERS Art Book

    Darnell and Darnell Jr. Courtesy of Twenty Eight Ink   The first time I held FATHERS, a stunning art book edited by Robyn Price Pierre, my heart swelled with emotion. The strength and vulnerability contained within its 423 pages moved me as a father, but also as a Black man affirmed by its intimate peek into...

Person of Interest: Robyn Price Pierre – Creator of the FATHERS Art BookJohnathon E. Briggs

The Weight of It All: Reflections of a Black Father on the Killing of George Floyd

— June 4, 2020 — The first time I saw the bystander video of George Floyd, handcuffed, lying face down in the street, pleading for air as a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck—for eight minutes and 46 seconds—until he suffocated, a sense of horror overcame me. The televised shock of it...

The Weight of It All: Reflections of a Black Father on the Killing of George FloydJohnathon E. Briggs

When Coronavirus Comes to Daycare

— May 27, 2020 — Three days before Memorial Day weekend, the coronavirus pandemic touched our daycare. With more than 1.7 million people in the U.S. infected and 100,000 deaths, I guess you could say (to echo Effie Trinket from "The Hunger Games") the odds were ever NOT in our favor. The email last Wednesday from the...

When Coronavirus Comes to DaycareJohnathon E. Briggs

Person of Interest: Rob Palkovitz – The Fatherhood Researcher

Like most dads-to-be, Rob Palkovitz, then a graduate student, was a bit panicked when he learned that he and his wife, Judy, were expecting their first child. “I felt like, ‘Oh my goodness. I’m supposed to be a child development expert, but I don’t know anything about fathering,’” recalled Palkovitz, a professor of human development...

Person of Interest: Rob Palkovitz – The Fatherhood ResearcherJohnathon E. Briggs

Existing While Black is a Pre-Existing Condition

— April 19, 2020 — Amid the sobering data that shows the coronavirus is infecting and killing black Americans at disproportionately high rates across the country, I see the lives of black fathers cut short. Like mighty oaks and young saplings being leveled in a forest, the virus has taken down proud patriarchs who anchored...

Existing While Black is a Pre-Existing ConditionJohnathon E. Briggs

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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.

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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
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