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    Take a Moment for Yourself to be Your Best Self

    — September 3, 2023 — The house had been quiet for half an hour, the air so still I could hear the high-pitched motor of the condensate pump in the downstairs utility closet humming through the air vents upstairs. The only hint of life came from the occasional swoosh of traffic out on the street....

    Take a Moment for Yourself to be Your Best SelfJohnathon E. Briggs

    Resistant Eater Makes Meals a Challenge

    — January 9, 2023 — My daughter has never eaten a hamburger. Or pizza. Or chicken nuggets. In fact, she’s never had a smorgasbord of foods most 8-year-olds devour with abandon: grilled cheese, hot dogs, spaghetti, mac and cheese, and — my personal favorite — tacos. Who doesn’t love a good taco? Oh sure, she may...

    Resistant Eater Makes Meals a ChallengeJohnathon E. Briggs

    Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness

    — December 30, 2019 — Illumination: Tree Lights DAD APPROVAL RATING:   (out of four) Dates: Runs through Sunday, Jan. 5. Info: www.mortonarb.org/illumination-event/2019 In the darkness of night, a cluster of trees bathed in blue light illuminated the open roadway where my Dear Daughter, clad in a purple hooded coat, ran with wild abandon through the winter air. She...

    Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark TogethernessJohnathon E. Briggs

    To Tree or Not to Tree? That Is the Question

    — December 21, 2019 — To tree or not to tree? That's the question you're faced with when it's 12 days before Christmas and you still haven't taken your miniature Christmas tree out of storage or even committed to the idea of putting one up at all. But on the 11th day before the holiday (Dec....

    To Tree or Not to Tree? That Is the QuestionJohnathon E. Briggs

    Dad Bod: What It Means to Me at Mid-Life

    — July 15, 2019 — Editor’s Note: On this blog, I refer to my daughter as “Dear Daughter” (DD) and my wife as “Dear Wife” (DW).   Let it go,” my wife instructs whenever she catches me in front of the mirror of our bathroom vanity, pinching my jiggly love handles. I’m staring at the reflection of a...

    Dad Bod: What It Means to Me at Mid-LifeJohnathon E. Briggs

    Ask a Dad: What’s Your Shaving Routine?

    — January 27, 2019 — After washing my scruffy face with glycolic facial cleanser, I pat it dry. I unscrew the bottle of Williams Lectric Shave and squirt a stream into a cotton ball before dabbing my chin, cheeks, and neck with the skin-smoothing solution, infusing the air with the citrusy scent of a pre-shave. Every man has a...

    Ask a Dad: What’s Your Shaving Routine?Johnathon E. Briggs

    Stepping Into the Outdoors of a New Year

    — January 1, 2019 — I closed the door behind me and stepped into the brisk air of a 20-something degree afternoon. The sky was dull and deflated as if the weather gods had partied too hard New Year’s Eve and regretted decisions that came to light this morning, the first day of 2019. The concrete...

    Stepping Into the Outdoors of a New YearJohnathon E. Briggs

    Three Spook-takular Reasons Why Date Nights Rule

    — October 31, 2017 — Editor’s Note: On this blog, I refer to my wife as “Dear Wife” (DW).   Date night. It's a ritual that has become an institution in the Briggs household, established years before my Dear Wife and I became parents, consistently observed before we married, and eagerly anticipated when we were dating. When I tell people...

    Three Spook-takular Reasons Why Date Nights RuleJohnathon E. Briggs

    Fashion@Forty: Great Shoes Make You Look Dapper

    — October 8, 2017 — My friends know I have a soft spot for wingtip shoes. Oh, and I have a guilty pleasure of shopping on Gilt.com. When those two things collide—and there are fun tickets in the wallet—the result is a purchase of wingtips from Gilt. See how that works? My latest purchase is the wingtip...

    Fashion@Forty: Great Shoes Make You Look DapperJohnathon E. Briggs

    Fashion@Forty: Feeling Floral for Fall

    — October 1, 2017 — The official start of fall had me feeling a wool blend, a floral print, a wingtip derby shoe, and origami socks—just because. Here's my Fashion@Forty for the week of Sept. 25-29: Where I Shop: The floral shirt is from Banana Republic Factory and Outlet; Stafford blazer, JCPenney; tie, Brooks Brothers. The...

    Fashion@Forty: Feeling Floral for FallJohnathon 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.

    Tags

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    On Hiatus: Pursuing a New Dream in 2022

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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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