MormonDaddyBlogs – Relationships

Hand Holding on Holding Hands

January 4, 2012 By Dennis

For those of us way on the other end of the tied knot, it can be easy to forget the delicate nuances involved in timing and initiating that first hand-hold in a new relationship. These are high stakes here. Blow the timing or technique here could doom an otherwise promising relationship.

The ranks of Mormon dadhood might experience some growth, thanks to a recent posting, “Holding Hands,” in The RMTC (The Returned Missionary Training Center). The post not only helps the recently returned missionary recognize the timing cues, it offers a technique, which derives its name from that masterpiece Kung Fu Panda, for how to float that hand-holding trial balloon.

“The Wushi Finger, (aka the pinky brush) is used to determine whether someone is interested in holding your hand. It requires you to ever so slightly brush your hand against your dates hand. It needs to be fluid — no ferreting around in pursuit of your date’s hand. The point of the Wushi Finger is to allow your date a chance to politely decline by moving her hand away in a subtle manner.”

Read the full article here.

Filed Under: Featured, Relationships

Surviving Pregnancy: A Guide for Expectant Dads

June 3, 2011 By Dennis

Okay, so maybe as guys we don’t actually carry the babies ourselves. But the fact of the matter is, the pregnancy experience is fraught with peril for the soon-to-be father who dares traverse that 9-month minefield unawares.

Fortunately, newly expectant father Scott Bagley shares with others about to embark this journey the lessons he’s learned thus far from his experience as he’s about to have his first child.

It includes such gems as Rule #17:

NEVER buy your wife Reebok Shape-ups as an after pregnancy gift.

And Rule #21:

DON’T be offended if she all of a sudden can beat your best friend in a burping contest.

Scott is a BYU-Idaho junior who works two part-time jobs and goes to school full time. He’s been married 11 months and is chronicling the experience of preparing to be a new dad in his blog, Macey and Me.

Welcome Scott (and Macey) by reading 25 Things NOT to do When Your Wife is Pregnant.

Filed Under: Featured, Parenting, Relationships Tagged With: Macey n' Me, parenting, Scott Bagley

Prom: Better Late?

May 26, 2011 By Dennis

Geoffrey Sagers is just a regular Mormon dad who blogs (in Chronicles of Geoff) about whatever project he is working on, be it home improvement, self improvement or family outings.

But more than a decade after his wife didn’t get asked to prom, Geoff did something pretty extraordinary. When it comes to prom, maybe late isn’t just better than never, maybe it’s just plain better.

Geoff even let his wife tell the story in her blog. We can learn a lot from Geoff. (Let’s hope our wives don’t see this.)

When Geoff isn’t working on earning husband of the year honors, he is busy being the father of five. His oldest daughter has special needs. “She is my incentive to live right,” says Geoff.

Welcome Geoff to MDB by starting with his link to his wife’s post in Prom 2011.

Filed Under: Featured, General, Parenting, Relationships Tagged With: Chronicles of Geoff, Geoff Sagers

When She Pops the Question

May 25, 2011 By Dennis

Not that question. The question before that question. The question that can pave or pre-empt the way to the big question.

“What are you going to be when you grow up?”

Once that question was an opportunity to let your imagination soar with limitless possibilities, before the grown-up would chuckle at your answer and send you on our way with a pat on your head. But to the recently returned missionary on a first date, that question is loaded.

Fortunately, there is a new blog on the scene to help recently returned missionaries not only answer that question, but to help with the overall transition back to civilian life. It’s called the RMTC, or Returned Missionary Training Center, and it makes perfect sense. We have plowed the wisdom of generations of missionary work into our Missionary Training Center, but when our youth return home after their service, we give them a handshake and wish them all the best.

In addition to articles on how to RM (for example, this post on why we’re a mess for awhile after our missions), the blog includes a list of stuff the returning missionaries missed while they were gone (royal weddings, Adele, etc.).

While many of those who participate here at MDB are beyond being considered a recently returned missionary, we still want to help spread the word about the RMTC blog in an effort to help them get those fine young men to the point where they are candidates for Mormon dads, and therefore participants of MDB.

Thanks to Aaron Quist, one of the “faculty” members at the RMTC, for bringing this blog to our attention. Aaron is a practicing attorney. He and his wife are raising two children in California.

Enjoy Aaron’s post, The Pre-Astronaut RM.

Filed Under: Featured, Relationships, Teachers Tagged With: Aaron Quist, the rmtc

Wife Yelling

May 18, 2011 By Dennis

Apparently, yelling at our wives isn’t as verboten as one would think, even for the good Mormon dads that we are.

In fact, there are two times when we can raise our voices, one of which is prophet sanctioned, the other scripturally sanctioned.

Special thanks to Richard Tait for bringing these occasions to our attention in his recent post in Mormon Third Eye, I See… When it’s OK to Yell at Your Wife.

Filed Under: Featured, Relationships Tagged With: Mormon Third Eye, Richard Tait