Posts Tagged ‘father’
The First Time My Dad Gave Me ‘The Talk’
Wendell Pierce is great. Read this New York Times article about advice his father gave him. It’s not about what you think it’s about.
My dad prepared me for the worst of times while also enabling me to succeed in the best.
Source: Wendell Pierce: The First Time My Dad Gave Me ‘The Talk’ – The New York Times
Cam Newton Named His Kid Chosen
With the Super Bowl coming up tomorrow, a little story about how Cam Newton named his kid Chosen. You know, to avoid the pressure of being named Cam Jr.
PLUMBBOB/NEWTON – September 16, 1957 – NEVADA TEST SITE — The fireball of the 20th full-scale nuclear detonation of Operation Plumbbob lights Yucca Flat. Code-named NEWTON, the device was suspended by a balloon at an altitude of 1,500 feet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The above photo came up because it happens to contain the word “Newton”, but it also is what happened to my head when I read this story. Don’t get me wrong. Cam can name his kid whatever he likes. However… “Chosen”? I assume he’s joking, at least a little bit, when he says it’s about avoiding pressure.
Father and son quarterbacks are certainly a thing — the Mannings being the easiest example. Peyton Manning will be playing in Super Bowl 50 against Cam Newton. Peyton and his wife Ashley have a son (part of a set of twins), so I guess it’s possible that kid could become a quarterback and Cam’s son could become a quarterback, and then they could play against each other in Super Bowl 75 or something. If so, you heard it speculated about here first.
In the interest of equal time, here’s a story about Peyton Manning doing something nice for a player on the practice squad who helped him with his rehab.
Go good game! Yay both teams!
Cam Newton Rocks Father-and-Son Dab Emoji Shirt Before Game vs. Seahawks
Cam Newton recently became a father, and revealed that his son’s name is Chosen. Why that name? In part, because Newton didn’t want his kid to have to live with the pressure of being named Cam Newton Jr.
Source: Cam Newton Didn’t Want To Put A Lot Of Pressure On His Kid, So He Named Him Chosen (Deadspin)
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French Father Explains Paris Attacks To Son (Video)
This video of a father talking to his son about the Paris attacks might make you cry. Me? Oh, you know. Allergies. #liar
How to be an amazing father: https://t.co/w8rvAZRCyk
— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) November 20, 2015
Oh my. The kid is adorable, and the way the father handles the situation is just wonderful. To be fair, I’m assuming that’s his father. It could be an uncle or a friend. But the tweet says father, so let’s go with that. Excuse me. I need a new box of tissues. I told you. Allergies. #liar
H/T to @thereaIbanksy and the awesomely talented actress Constance Zimmer (currently being awesome on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) who retweeted it.
Age of Ultron Hard on Joss Whedon Because He Has a Family
Avengers: Age of Ultron ruled the box office this weekend. And before that, it ruled director Joss Whedon‘s life. This was, according to the director, difficult on him because he has a family. Here’s what he said in an interview:
English: Joss Whedon at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“When I watch it, I just see ‘flaw, flaw, flaw, compromise, laziness, mistake,’” said Whedon. “The reason I set out to make another film is because I wanted to make one that was better, and I wanted to up my game as a shooter and work harder on every aspect of it and sort of give myself up to it in a way that’s hard for me, because I have a family. I started as a writer in low-budget TV, and there was always this element of, ‘This is good enough.’ And with this movie, I never wanted to say, ‘This is good enough.’” (emphasis added)
And now the explanation. Read more »
Mike Francesa Says Parents Should Relax About Fandom
Remember when I wrote about raising kids to be fans of perpetually bad sports teams? (If not, I helpfully linked to the article for you. I’ll expect a thank you note in the mail.) Today on WFAN, Mike Francesa took a caller to task about the same issue. Basically, he told the caller, a father and fan of the Jets (I think it was the Jets) that parents should relax about fandom.
(Note: the image above has nothing to do with the story except that it is a sports image, and neither person appears to be relaxed.)
The WFAN host’s point, which I basically agree with, is that people take this whole “I’m raising my kid to be a fan of a perpetually bad sports team” thing much too seriously. Or, as Aaron Rodgers put it — RELAX.
Francesa went on to describe some of the favorite Yankee teams of his childhood, which he described as not being very good but he loved them anyway.
I am also a Yankee fan, and here’s where I have to respectfully… not exactly disagree with Mr. Francesa, but add to his point. When the Yankees lose, it doesn’t hurt the way it does when the Mets lose. The same is true for the Giants and the Jets. Even when the Jets WIN, fans find it painful. The first two years that Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ starting quarterback, which were also the first two years’ of Rex Ryan’s tenure as head coach, they made it to the AFC Championship Game. That’s one game away from the Super Bowl. I watched those games, and the ones that preceded it, with a lifelong Jets fan. You know what? Even the games they won, I could feel the tension. There’s always a sense that something bad will happen. I don’t know why, but I’ve seen it firsthand and discussed it with other Jets fans. They agree. Barring another Super Bowl win (and it is worth noting that the Jets at least HAVE a Super Bowl win in their history, something many other NFL teams do not), I don’t know that it will ever not be at least a little bit painful to be a fan of the Jets.
Does that mean raising your kid to be a Jets fan is somehow bad parenting? Of course not. That’s silly. In my experience kids pick up on fandom naturally — if you’re a Jet(s fan) you’re a Jet(s fan) all the way, and your kids prob’ly will be the exact same way.
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Dad Concerned Son’s E-Gaming Career May Not Last Forever
The headline “Dad Concerned Son’s E-Gaming Career May Not Last Forever” may sound like it belongs on The Onion, but it’s real. Here are some quotes from an article that was on the FRONT PAGE of the New York Times a few weeks back.
(Note: the photo below is from a a DOTA Championship back in 2005. Remember 2005? Good times, good times. OK, not really.)
English: The top three finalists in DotA Allstars, from WCG 2005 (a computer gaming championship). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
His obsession with video games was a sore point with Mr. Dager’s parents during his teenage years, as it was for the parents of many top gamers.
“I, and many players like me, sacrificed everything,” said Mr. Dager, who is almost a senior in college but is not attending school now. “We gave up on sports and friends and school just so we can play more.”
Mr. Dager’s income was meager last year, amounting to less than $20,000. But he estimates his income so far this year at more than $200,000.
He recently looked at a condominium to buy in Fort Wayne. His father, Joe Dager, said he was proud of his son’s success but uncertain about the longevity of his son’s career.
“There’s hardly a week that goes by when we don’t reiterate the fact that that’s all fine and good, but at some point you do have to make provisions to finish school,” his father said. “We say that, but I don’t know if Bill Gates’s parents are still saying that to him.”
(Note: emphasis added above.)
Quick comment: making money playing video games does not mean you are Bill Gates. It doesn’t even mean you’re a programmer, or know a thing about how to start a successful business, much less the multibillion dollar Microsoft. So let’s not get too crazy.
What I say to kids who tell me they want an e-gaming/e-sports career is the following: start really young, keep your expectations realistic, and don’t skip college unless you’ve got something tangible happening where you are making actual money. Not potential money. Actual money. And any money you make? Save it. Put it in the bank. Invest it in something low-risk. (Unless you have a trust fund or something. In that case, be a mensch and donate your winnings. That would be a nice thing to do.) Because the game that you happen to be a master of could easily disappear as quickly as it became popular. Maybe even faster.
In E-Sports, Video Gamers Draw Real Crowds and Big Money – NYTimes.com.
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Songs About Bad Dads (Daddy Issues)
As a former contributor to The A.V. Club I vaguely wish I had contributed to this list of Songs About Bad Dads. Just in time for Father’s Day, of course. Then again, I haven’t heard of most of the tunes on here, so maybe I wouldn’t have been the best writer to tackle this assignment, despite my penchant for all things Daddy Issues.
This isn’t a song, but nobody has more daddy issues than Scott Summers, aka Cyclops.
There are the obligatory indie-rock bands (The Mountain Goats have two entries) but also some surprises, including, I shit you not, Shaquille O’Neal, who apparently recorded a song Biological Didn’t Bother, which I have to admit is a pretty good title. (By the way, because Amazon truly has everything, if you decide you really love Shaq’s song and want to sing/rap it yourself, you can get a karaoke version. Yes. Seriously. For reals.)
Make your way through the full list (it’s not that long) and you will be rewarded with a tune titled Daddy Wasn’t There from Austin Powers in Goldmember, performed by the fake band Ming Tea. It is, as the A.V. Club writers point out, rather catchy, kinda funny, and just a teeny bit sad to those of us with daddy issues of our own. Here’s the video (Bonus: you get to look at Susanna Hoffs.)
The Austin Powers’ movies are, in their way, filled with daddy issues, particularly Scott and his father Dr. Evil.
Click the link below to check out the full list of Bad Dad Songs from The A.V. Club. Here’s a tip: be a great dad and no one will write one of these about you. And happy father’s day!
Bad dads: 19 songs about shitty fathers · Inventory · The A.V. Club.
