The Dumbest Dad Blogger Of Them All

Been thinking about the blogger I used to be and the one I want to become.

Been staring at The Shackled Writer and asking myself what is the same, what has changed and where I want to take this crazy ride to next.

Remember when I said He Named His Intention Texas?

Nothing has changed there except my desire to go back has grown stronger each day. Ask me why and I can give you a bunch of reasons but the truth is my gut is what is really driving me.

A feeling that I need to go back because that is where the next part of my story starts.

That is important and not just because I am always the guy to ask What Is Your Story?

The Dumbest Dad Blogger Of Them All

Some people say the best way to deal with trolls is not to feed them but I am not always good about following that particular course of instruction.

Several years back I received some hate mail and one of the emails said I am the dumbest dad blogger of them all.

I wrote them back and thanked them for giving me free rent inside their head. They sent me a few other notes and I sent a few other responses and then I went silent.

Maybe I got the last word and maybe I didn’t.

Doesn’t really matter because when you’re the dumbest dad blogger of them all you do things differently and travel the road not taken.

Don’t know that I really want to be known as the dumbest dad blogger of them all but the talking heads say there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Truth is I disagree with that position vehemently because I am certain some publicity can kill you but I have no desire to learn whether this is fact or fiction.

In concept the pictures here are supposed to help encourage people to pin and share these posts.

In concept they are supposed to help add another layer to the tales I am trying to tell and make these posts more compelling but sometimes there is a distinction between concept and execution.

That is my long-winded way of saying sometimes I put these things in for me because I want to remind myself to follow the advice/instructions I see in the picture.

*****

Turned off DISQUS and turned CommentLuv back on because I am curious to see what happens with the comments.

Some people said they didn’t comment because they had issues with it so I figure it is worth taking a look to see if it makes an impact or not.

Someone else told me they don’t comment on some of these posts because they don’t know what to say. They said some of this is too personal and it makes them uncomfortable.

I don’t publish anything I am not willing to accept comments on but if I did I would turn the comments off.

That doesn’t mean I never publish posts that make me squirm a bit because I do.

Great writing is often scary and if you are not willing to go deep and try to share what lies beneath the surface you do yourself and your readers a disservice.

Even if you are writing fiction and sharing stories about Writing, Ranches and Relationships you need to tap into the joy and the pain of life because it is how you’ll connect with your readers.

Bloggers Need The Write Stuff

Yeah bloggers need the write stuff and that is made up of a million different things and nothing.

Sometimes writing is like trying to catch smoke in the palm of your hand. You can wrap your fingers around it but as soon as you unclench them you’ll find nothing but the faintest hint of what was once there.

There is a part of me that says I should narrow my focus again and spend more time writing about the kids. It is the part of me that says acting more like a traditional dad blogger would be good for building the blog.

Focus on the child-rearing and parenting stuff and you’ll get more readers.

But I always come back to the same place with that.

My kids are too big and too old to share the traditional stories like I once did.

I haven’t had to change a diaper in a thousand years and the last time one of them spit up on me was 500 years before that.

The tales about how to travel with the kids aren’t filled with the same crazy stories about having to carry 983 pound of gear for one baby.

When we fly everyone carries their own carryon and is responsible for managing their suitcase.

Now I am cautious about how much I share because I don’t have the same ownership of their stories and I have to be concerned about what happens if they or their classmates ‘Google’ themselves.

So I take a different tack and try to measure and mix things up a bit.

One of the goals now is to try to figure out how to become a better father and to share some of that tale with you.

Part of that is relating the struggle to find the balance between doing what is best for my career and what is good for the children.

It is about trying to figure out what happens if I do something that will be more rewarding and potentially provide more cash in pocket.

The theory goes that provides not just the material benefits that come with it but a much happier father and those benefits can be huge.

That is not to say I am miserable now or so unhappy that I can’t see straight but I am definitely not where I want to be.

So the question is how much of my life do I subjugate for my kids.

The thing about life is sometimes the only way you can find out the answer to some question is to walk through the door and see what lies on the other side.

And that is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to open the door and walk through it.

• Saved: Children, Life