Yearly Archives: 2013

Tips for a full-time father of two in Manhattan

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For six years, I was a full-time father in Manhattan. I loved every minute of it – and for significant chunks of that time added a friend’s child to the mix. A friend in NYC is just about to transition from being a full-time father of one two full time father of two and asked me for logistical tips on the joy of fathering two kids in the city. Here are my tips.

Gear: Why start with stuff? Because the great thing about living in NYC is all the great places to go. And if you have two little kids, you have to pack well (and light) in order to do it.

1. Stroller. I found that I often traveled wearing one child and pushing the other. For this, I haven’t found a better solution than the MacLaren Techno. Why?

  • Weight. It’s light, but sturdy. I carried it up and down countless subway stairs.
  • Ease of use. It collapses with one hand, which is key when you’re wearing one kid, holding the hand of the other, and stepping onto the bus.
  • The rain shield. It keeps out the wind, rain, and snow, and it stows easily in the pouch on the back.
  • Telescoping handles. If your 6 foot or more, this makes a big difference.
  • Wheels. I’ve put many hundreds of miles on the wheels and they haven’t worn out!
  • Economy??? Yes, I know they’re expensive. Look for last year’s model on eBay – and pay 50% of retail for this year’s model. That’s what I did. Continue reading →

The power of universities

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Recently I read my nine-year-old a biography of John Stott. (In 2005, he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.) Stott’s biographer, Julia Cameron, emphasized Stott’s life-long commitment to university students with these words:

[University] Students will soon become schoolteachers, doctors, lawyers, lecturers, writers, and journalists. Some will go on to serve in government. All these people influence the way others think. To change a nation, you have to begin in the universities. (p104)

This is true, and Dr. Stott placed wise and persevering effort on universities. But to truly change a nation, you have to begin in the family in the earliest years of life because those formative years are the most powerful predictor of whether a child will enter university. If you wait until university, the underclasses will always be underrepresented, and nations will not change. Indeed by waiting until university, the educational class system becomes even more entrenched.

Given the cultural power that universities (and especially elite universities) have, that is probably the point at which students must learn the inordinate cultural power of the family in the earliest years of life. If this is done, both the power of the university and the power of early formation in the family are employed for the common good.