Back in the Saddle … With a New Focus
Posted on 01. Nov, 2013 by Rebeldad in General
Exactly 11 years ago, I launched rebeldad.com. My intention then, as now, was not to build some mighty media empire, but merely to track a phenomenon that wasn’t being tracked anywhere else: the rise of the at-home father. But over time, I found I was adding less and less value. Fatherhood was a hot topic, and there was a growing cadre of dads doing a great job of chronicling their experience, and rebeldad.com slowly ground to a halt.
I’m now entering a new phase in life. I’m looking down the barrel of a solid decade — and then some — of parenting teenagers. And I have no idea what I’m doing. A quick survey of my friends suggests that they don’t know what they’re doing either.
This nonchalant cluelessness stands in stark contrast to the attitude of toddler parents, who generally have a parenting philosophy, a subscription to at least one glossy parenting magazine, a pediatric guru (Spock! Brazelton! Karp! Sears! Ferber!), and an unshakable belief that they’re doing exactly the right thing.
Fast forward a decade, and there are no philosophies, no magazines, few gurus, and few parents who are firmly convinced that they’re not screwing things up now and again.
That’s the unmet need that the “new” rebeldad.com is going to try to fill. My goal is to curate news about parenting teens, draw attention to smart science and advice on the topic, and think at least as deeply about issues of adolescence as I did about pre-kindergarten education.
I have no intention of holding myself as an expert (I’m not) or telling anecdotes about my family (you’d be bored). But I’m hoping I can use this space to highlight issues that might not otherwise get a full hearing and to flag experts whose voices should probably be considered.
I hope you’ll join me.
Robb
01. Nov, 2013
Looking forward to it my friend!!!!
Blair Clark-Schoeb
01. Nov, 2013
Seeing that my oldest who is nine thinks she is a teenager, I am all ears.
Matt
01. Nov, 2013
Couldn’t be happier to have you back Brian. You’ve hit the nail on the head with the topic- looking forward to having your perspective on parenting teens. Let us know what we can do to help!
Lance
01. Nov, 2013
Brian - You’re the guy I always point to as my original source of relevant information as I leaped into parenthood as new dad as well as inspiration to create a blog and develop a resource for dads. So glad to see you’re back with a fresh angle. - lance
Chad Too
01. Nov, 2013
Glad your back! I’m almost done with the teenager period (17 next month) and it’s been a wild ride. Looking forward to all of it!
Chad Too
01. Nov, 2013
Glad YOU’RE back. Can’t believe that got past me.
rebel
01. Nov, 2013
Chad: I’ll have to lean on you for advice and life lessons. Also: I find it incredible that you have an almost-17-year-old. How long have we known each other?
Michelle
01. Nov, 2013
Parents of toddlers think they know what they are doing? Wow, I never did. I think teenagers teach you that you don’t know a thing (and that, in the end, they’ll be fine). Can’t wait to have you point me in the right direction. Get going, though. Oldest is almost through this obstacle course.
rebel
01. Nov, 2013
Michelle: I didn’t pretend to have the slightest idea what I was doing when the kids were little, but it seems like a lot of people in my neighborhood were. These are the folks who were *convinced* that not breastfeeding was close to child abuse or that *only* Montessori was an appropriate educational choice or whatever.
And *me* point *you* in the right direction? I figure I’m going to scroll through everything in your Facebook feed over the past few years, looking for tips …
Tracy
02. Nov, 2013
Dr Michele Borba is an awesome resource on parenting tweens/teens. Her twitter handle is @micheleborba.
Tracy
02. Nov, 2013
@micheleborba is a great resource!
LionelGeek
04. Nov, 2013
As the father of two kids getting closer to teenhood, I’ll check into this blog on a regular basis.
Theanks Rebeldad!
marjorie
10. Nov, 2013
i have tweens. i’m very excited for a data-driven smart site about teenagers — there is indeed a huge dearth of information and (smart) first-person writing. yay!