Fatherhood

A Developmental Delay is a Comma, Not a Period

— April 5, 2019 — Editor’s Note: On this blog, I refer to my daughter as “Dear Daughter” (DD) and my wife as “Dear Wife” (DW).   The doors of the daycare fade in the rearview mirror as I steer my Ford Fusion toward Maple Avenue, easing into the flow of a Friday rush hour in the Chicago...

A Developmental Delay is a Comma, Not a PeriodJohnathon E. Briggs

The 7 Best Dad Moments of 2018

From Hollywood to social media, these dad moments shined. — December 30, 2018 — The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh away. But when it came to showing love for dads in 2018 the Internet mostly, as the kids say, gave me life. Too often in popular culture fathers are depicted as either Missing in Action...

The 7 Best Dad Moments of 2018Johnathon E. Briggs

An Alternative Title for the Jay-Z & Beyoncé Album

— June 17, 2018 — Just in time for Father's Day weekend, Jay-Z and Beyoncé dropped a surprise, nine-track album Saturday titled "Everything is Love." But since the launch of my blog a year ago today, I've learned that everything is change. Change— a six-letter word that sometimes feels like a four-letter verb—is the one constant...

An Alternative Title for the Jay-Z & Beyoncé AlbumJohnathon E. Briggs

Navigating the ‘Autistic Seas’ with Gratitude, Anger & Patience

— December 27, 2017 — Editor’s Note: On this blog, I refer to my daughter as “Dear Daughter” (DD) and my wife as “Dear Wife” (DW).   You never know how alone you're not until you step out and speak your truth. That's what I learned on Sunday, September 24 when I published a post about learning to accept...

Navigating the ‘Autistic Seas’ with Gratitude, Anger & PatienceJohnathon E. Briggs

Once Upon a Time When I was Coloured

— December 3, 2017 — Editor's Note: On December 5, 2013, freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, the father of South African democracy, died at the age of 95. I had the privilege of living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa as a journalist in 1998 during Mandela’s last term as the country's president. This piece was...

Once Upon a Time When I was ColouredJohnathon E. Briggs

Family Reunions: A Sense of Legacy

DETROIT (July 14 and 15, 2017)—A smoky sizzle permeated the air as my cousin, Dana, manned the barbecue grill. She flipped burgers, hot dogs, and kabobs for hours at Belle Isle Park as descendants of the Jones and Jordan families gathered along the Detroit River under the shade of Pavilion No. 9. They had...

Family Reunions: A Sense of LegacyJohnathon E. Briggs

Lost and Found: 10 Years Later

Editor's Note: This essay is from 2016, but I'm reposting for the launch week of Fatherhood@Forty. Happy Father's Day! — January 12, 2016 — Ten years ago, Friday the Thirteenth proved to be the most extraordinary day of my life. Two days after Christmas in 2005, I set out to answer a seemingly simple question: Who was my...

Lost and Found: 10 Years LaterJohnathon E. Briggs

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...

Blog Launch: Start the BeginningJohnathon 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.
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