June 28, 2011, Atlanta, Georgia

But God and life had different plans for me. Many lessons came easy. To this day, some have been hard to embrace. But at a glance, they all seem easy enough --- as easy as A, B, C...

Often these simple little lessons that life has for us, in this case, fathers, are the hardest. In "DAD: As Easy As A, B, C!" I've picked 26 to share with you. Each one begins with a letter of the alphabet.

This is my 3rd book and it is no-nonsense common sense for DAD (and Mom too). It's a potent thought-provoking workout for any parent looking to step up their game with their kids and with themselves. It features forewords from Lamar Tyler & Kimberly Seals Allers, the author of the best-selling Mocha Manual Series. It also features workbook exercises to that will require not only Dad's input but also the input of his spouse or partner. With this book I want to raise the bar for Dads. And after reading this book I want Dads to raise the bar for themselves.

Available Now For Everyone
DAD: As Easy As A, B, C is available today at Amazon.com Kindle Store for the price of $7.99. Don't worry if you don't have a Kindle. Amazon has done a great job of bringing their books to you via their FREE apps for:

• iPhone
• iPad
  
• Android
• Blackberry
• Windows Phone
• Windows PC
• And your Mac
  

So whether you have a kindle or any of the above you can not only own a copy but you can read Dad As Easy As A, B, C! also.

Along with MakesMeWannaHoller.com, this book now joins my effort (through the written word) to increase father-involvement. It is my sincere desire to encourage and empower men who are and men who are about to be dads --- from the noncommittal to the thoroughly involved. All of us can use a shot in the arm from time to time.

DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! is just what the doctor ordered.

Today I hope you will join with me as I celebrate the launch of DAD: As Easy As A, B, C!

Download A Sample
If you haven't had a chance to see what the book is about you can read a sample here.

Buy The Book
Once you've done that please head on over to Amazon to purchase a full copy of DAD: As Easy As A, B, C!

For the moth of June and July, partial proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the National Fatherhood Initiative. That way you'll be supporting the advocacy of father-involved families on the national level also.

The Party Is Just Getting Started - Book Launch Events

Black Fathers Radio Show, Hosted by Matt Prestbury
8pm EST/5pm PST today - I'll be a guest of the show and discussing the book. Please tune in.
For more information visit: www.blogtalkradio.com/blackfathersradio

Impromptu-Last Minute Twitter Party/Book Chat
When: 9:07pm EST/6:07pm PST Today, Tuesday, June 28.

Topic: DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! (of course) & What Are the Ingredients of a "Good" Dad

1st Follow Me: @EPayneTheDad

2nd Log on at: Cut and paste the following link into your browser: http://bit.ly/kxXKOY then add your name to grid on the right.

3rd: The hashtag for tonight's chat will be: #DadBookabcChat

I'm looking forward to it. There may be a surprise or two for those who attend.

Thank you for all of you support!


E.Payne is the author of DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Considering this past Sunday was Father's Day you may or may not be wondering why the blog has been so quiet. Sure, if you're one of the many who live over on my Facebook Page you know I've been chattering away about this and that. Here and there I mentioned my son turning 16, but that's it. And with good reason.

My Father's Day was a disaster. The stuff of movies. The only difference being it wasn't funny. At least not to me. I never got angry. By mid afternoon I was sad, by evening I was disappointed, by the time I closed my eyes that night I was disillusioned.

I've worked through all this and am in a place where I can write about it. Look for it next week. Just to you a hint of what to expect: a wrecked car (mine) that I wasn't driving, a flaming bag of nothing and some regular old pasta with meat sauce...

But as DAD I don't have the luxury of wallowing in my own despair. The next day was my son's birthday. Since marrying into this family all of my days seem to be trumped by others --- my son's birthday is either the day before, on or after Father's Day and my mother-in-law's birthday is one week after mine (as is my wedding anniversary) and my wife's birthday is two weeks before mine. Now you may be sitting thinking, well the more the merrier! More reasons to have fun, more partying, more gifts...

Yeah...not really. In my case it always comes down to doing what makes the most sense and what makes the most sense is shortchanging the one who will understand that it's about cost effectiveness, time management, doing the most for the people who are least likely to understand, so He who "gets it"....truly gets it (in every position imaginable).

But enough about me.

The day after what I affectionately refer to as the Father's Day Fiasco of 2011, my son turned 16. Nearly six-foot-two-inches and slated to be a Junior in high school this fall I simply can't believe he is almost ready to leave home to go to college. It was just yesterday that he was the same age as my daughter is now, just as funny, just as entertaining, just as filled with light. He's still a bright light, a personable young gent, but he's a teen and those of you with teens out there know what I mean.

I don't even remember turning 16, but my wife wanted to make a big deal out of the day for him just like she did when he was 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 9, 8, and 6. Yes, I believe she skipped one year in there. We're in a bit of a financial bind right now and she was convinced it couldn't happen. But since the dawn of this "new economy" I've made one single pledge I've thankfully been able to back up 100% - "My children will not suffer."

Using my own Father's Day gift money that the few aunts and uncles who still believe I'm a child sent me, I ran errands all day, buying balloons, cupcakes, cards, and an iPhone case (the one he wants currently is unavailable to us because of carrier nonsense). The case was my "IOU" to you --- something that I knew he would appreciate as much as the gift itself. He's a lover of meat and pork despite my best efforts to promote healthy eating around the house. Besides he's not a bad kid so if he wants to rebel with food, I'm not mad at that.

Outback Steakhouse quickly came to mind. We piled into the wife's car (as I was unable to even look at mine sitting battered and bruised in our garage) and headed to a location not far from our new home in the ATL. It was a balmy Monday evening filled with a breeze that comforted us all as we sat and ate in the outside dining area. My son had ribs and steak, my wife had ribs and chicken, my daughter thought she wanted ribs but in the end wanted chicken fingers and I had a nicely prepared piece of salmon and a large glass of sangria to take the edge off. I sat there watching my family --- my son opening his cards and genuinely appreciating what was being given to him; my daughter coloring away furiously on her kids' menu and my wife's skin glowing from the rays of the setting sun. And in that moment I was blessed, happy that I could make it happen for my family despite the odds that currently face us, blessed that despite it all we have happiness rather than hopelessness. Sure we could be doing more and we could have more, but when I look back on these tough times (and I will be looking back from a better place), I will always have fondness in my heart, because I will know I never gave in and my family remained beautiful and unscathed because of it.

Thanks to the gifts that have been given to me I'd like to give something to one you: An Outback Steakhouse Dinner with Dad Experience - a $45 gift certificate towards dinner with you and the family (not including alcohol, tax and tips, otherwise known as gratuities).

But there are a couple things I'd like you to do for me in order to be entered to win.

1. Like the post Sweet 16.
2. Write here in the comments section of this post of a time or instance when you overlooked or turned a bad/not so great situation into a great one for you and your family.
3. Like Outback Steakhouse on Facebook at Facebook.com/Outback, OR Follow Outback Steakhouse on Twitter at Twitter.com/Outback

You must do each of the above 3 items listed above to be entered to win. The contest begins as of the posting of this article and ends at 11:59pm on June 30th, 2011. You must be 18 and older to enter and a resident of the USA. On July 1, a random drawing will be made based off your entries in the comments below.

Thanks for reading and supporting as always. Good Luck!

Disclosure: I did receive a complimentary $45 gift certificate for dinner at Outback Steakhouse for the purpose experiencing and reviewing the Outback Steakhouse Dinner with Dad Experience.


E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Eric Payne © 2011. All Rights Reserved.

The boy recently turned 16 and was a great sport, allowing his sister to celebrate it in her own special way.


E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Becoming a father is EASY. Elevating your experience to that of DAD is something else entirely.



It isn't easy and sometimes it might not even be considered enjoyable, but it isn't written anywhere that it should be. But no matter what, for the sake of your family and our collective communities at large, it's 100% worth it. Dig in! Stay in!

DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! will be hitting Amazon.com Kindle store on Tuesday, June 21st. In the meantime please enjoy the first 25 pages posted below.

Thank you and Happy Father's Day!!!

DAD: As Easy As A, B, C!

E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

So it's the Thursday before Father's Day and I can honestly say I've struggled with my For Father's Gift/Wish List. When I first began blogging it was easy. Now 3 years in with a couple thousand active readers, having recently been named a Top 50 Dad Blogger and with a Klout Score that is growing by the day I should be overjoyed to use my influence to rep DAD to the fullest and get us some gifts we deserve.

To be honest, I'm barely interested.

I've had everything from chainsaws to iPhone apps thrown at me to review and post. All for free of course. And though my attitude on the word "free" is changing thanks to Seth Godin (this blog is free, the Internet is "free"), I still have cause for pause:

Why am I telling people what to buy me or any other Dad? Shouldn't someone else other than Dad be providing the advice. No different than the men who write about what NOT to do if you don't want to get put out of the house/sleep on the couch/not get any on Mother's Day. Unfortunately we can't put anyone out of the house, the wife will only sleep on the couch because she wants to and well getting some...that's a whole 'nother conversation.

Despite this I have spied a couple of Father's Day items priced at both ends of the cost spectrum that sparked my interest. Both are likely to bring joy to the whole family should these be given as gifts.

#1 - The Perfect Stubble
A couple months back I received Conair's i-Stubble, "The Ultimate in Stubble Control". It is a very basic facial hair groomer with a very modern twist --- a guard that can be electronically raised and lowered between .4 and 2 millimeters. As a former unpaid barber to the masses and loyal Oster and Andis user, I was highly skeptical of this Conair device. I began using it day in and day out and I must confess I have had the same goatee and mustache that I did the day after I broke this cordless, rechargeable device out of its package. The first day I accidentally sheared half my mustache off, but that's what I get for not reading the directions and cutting in the direction that my facial hair grows versus against it. Anyone who doesn't know any better would swear I was at an old school barber everyday getting a straight-edge shave and trim. But in truth it's just the Conair I-stubble Facial Trimmer. You can look as trim as you want or achieve that "perfect scruff" that movie stars have and women (often your own) drool over.

#2 - Leave That Webcam Alone
Now this is what I like to refer to as a big boy toy. Something that typically only Dad will know how to operate. Equally, he's usually the only one who wants to (For example all electronics issues in my home are deferred to me, if not me then my son is 2nd in line, if not him, then my 5 y.o. daughter is more than eager to turn on the television for my wife).

Why not get DAD a gift that brings him closer to those he loves this Father’s Day: Cisco ûmi connects family and friends, even during the busiest times. It’s a new way for the whole family to get together and chat – whether they’re around the corner or across the country. Cisco ûmi connects to any HD television and broadband internet connection to deliver a video communications experience through your TV and from the comfort of your living room with such amazing clarity it feels as if everyone is in the same room. I've been drooling over this for the past 12 months and anticipate going into the next 12 months continuing to drool.

With Cisco ûmi’s interoperability with Google Video, traveling dads who are often on the road can use their PC or MAC to share all the moments at home from bedtime stories to blowing a good night kiss.


You might be wondering, well how does this work if I'm the only one who has one? Now through June 19th you can take advantage of the Cisco umi with 720p HD resolution Buy One Get One Free Offer thanks to the good folks at Cisco and Amazon.com. This way you'll have a gift for Dad and a way to stay in touch with the family down South, in the Midwest, out West or East or across the pond.


E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

As I was driving my littlest one to camp this morning the following came to me:

• I will prevail against all that seeks to prevail against me.
• I will not quit. I cannot quit.
• I will never give up.
• I will seek the high road during my struggles and quickly adjust when I find myself on the low road.
• I will be at peace.
• Nothing and no one will take my joy.I will have joy in my heart and in my life.
  
• The Lord is my shepherd.
• I will do what is necessary to succeed even if that means removing "I" from the equation.
• I will not complain about being tired but will instead look forward to the day that I can sleep late. And if I can't, I'll keep working until I can.

I'm putting this up on my bathroom mirror alongside Psalm 23 to read aloud and repeat as many times as I must to keep my head about me when all about me are losing theirs and blaming it on me.

I hope you'll do the same.

Do you have a favorite saying that helps to keep you sane? Please share in the comments section below.

E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Oh, please!
I can't believe that a year later I'm writing about the same man for the same reasons despite a completely different set of circumstances that produced the same if not worse results. Almost a year and one month to the date, I'm writing once again about LeBron's Teachable Moment.

2010: In plain and full view of anyone who is a fan of the NBA and the owner of a television LeBron James shrank into insignificance during the conference finals with Boston. To my own personal disbelief it seemed as if he decided he couldn't win easily, so he just stopped trying. Right then he stopped being The Man. He stopped being this massive basketball phenom that I admired and had no problem touting to anyone.

Then came The Decision. I was seated at a Mexican restaurant during a visit to Chicago eating dinner with some of my parents' neighbors. I was baffled. Why was the Boys & Girls Club there? Why was it so long? Forget the city of Cleveland, why did he dis' his team and the people he had been working with for 7 years? He didn't dis anyone by leaving, but he dissed everyone based on the way he OPTED to leave. There was so much bad karma kicked up into the air you I swear you could see it.

I remember putting down my chicken quesadilla, sitting back in my chair and thinking to myself, This isn't going to go the way he thinks it will.

Then a week later or whenever it was, I saw him clad in Heat gear, thankfully absent from his jersey was the significant Number 23 replaced with . He was rising up out of the floor on a stage in a space filled with smoke and lights standing alongside D. Wade and Chris Bosh. Then he began to dance... Who dances in a a team uniform...on a stage? Then came the predictions. Each one wild, brazen, uninformed, unproven, angering to everyone who was right there with them (as in the players of the NBA) and angering to all us "average folk" who know you that you have to get somewhere first before you start sharing the rarefied air of the Hall of Famers who were so good they almost don't even seem real anymore (and I'm talking about more than just Jordan).

I remember thinking, What in the hamfat is this?! And several other thoughts crossed my mind that don't need to be shared here. What I will state is that I was upset. Why? Because my son and so many other kids in this world live and breathe their lives through the words, actions and commercials of these so-called, larger than life, clearly overpaid athletes. With the air time these dudes were getting there wasn't anything anyone could say to the contrary to their child that wouldn't prompt that child spitting back that you were a hater. But there was one simple trump card that life had in the deck. One shuffled in amongst the deck of cards stacked full of money, fame, and a PR blitz that has been downright nauseating. I played it last summer:

"Let's see what happens."

Then the season began and I admit to being among the many who reveled in every defeat the Heat suffered, especially at the hands of my Bulls. But I concede, their in-air magnificence was something to behold. I found the post game interviews to be particularly bizarre. No one ever talked about being beat but instead talked about whose fault it was for why they lost and how the losses never mattered. What loss doesn't matter if you can learn from it?! The only one who seemed to speak with any level of transparency was Chris Bosh and for this, I appreciate him. Now back to the other two. D. Wade even went so far as to call attention to how much the world reveled in their defeats. If I made millions I would honestly not give one hot damn what anyone thought of me, just as I do right now making 2 cents on the dollar. The only thing I'd be worried about is winning games. I mean honestly, who cares?

But the regular season is the regular season and they ultimately muscled and defended their way into the Playoffs and started knocking teams out, my poor Bulls included. The Finals were set. They were slated to meet a team I didn't think anyone in the Eastern Conference could beat in the Dallas Mavericks. They had this whole old man work ethic going on, the tortoise and the hare thing happening right there in HD, coming from behind EVERY TIME they played. They seemed to be live by the adage, "the race doesn't go to the strongest or the fastest, but to the one who endures." I began to grin, not as a bandwagoneer, but because what we had on our hands here folks was an epic battle in the making: old world basketball teamwork versus the flash and panache of social media savvy athletic specimens who seriously, seriously, seriously rule the air.

A Tiger Can't Change His Stripes
Jason Terry talks a lot of trash, but he backs it up. Jason Terry also seems to understand some basic truths that gave much fuel to his fire. Namely, a tiger can't change his stripes. The photo included in this post is the same one I put up last year when LBJ was with the Cavs. Why should I put a current photo up? He's the same man, the same player, the same poor loser. Narcissistic, mentally delicate despite how athletically blessed he is, shook in the face of disaster and seemingly baffled by losing. For those of you who don't know, shook means fearful. Since we are talking about superheroes let's consider this: most of us who grew up loving Spider-Man of the comic books did so not because he easily laid waste to any and every enemy he's faced, but rather the exact opposite. On one occasion after another Spidey's enemies would get the best of him and beat him within an inch of his life. He suffered a lot of collateral damage along the way as well, but he somehow managed to muster the strength to prevail. At battle's end he'd swing home half naked, his costume in tatters, wearing half a mask and one boot, covered in his own dried blood.

Jordan got dragged off the court a complete and utter mess by teammate Pippen after the performance of a lifetime while suffering through a stomach virus. Dirk played most of the Finals looking like a snot nosed child. Kobe will grow old with arthritic fingers. Even D.Wade refused to be saddled by a busted hip.

If you're trying to shed blood you've got to be willing to bleed in the process. Or, at the very least understand that it might happen along the way.

If you begin to come unglued, then remain unglued once defeat appears to be inevitable, defeat is certain. A true champion is the man or woman who fights against the odds stacked against them: whether that's building a team and snagging your first championship from a mighty franchise or marching into history against the statistical odds of winning six.

LBJ changed teams, put on a nationwide tour, shuffled and danced, and told an entire city a fairytale of what what he would do. Oh yeah, and he dragged D. Wade down with him. Sorry, I like D. Wade. Expressionless and a little defensive when questioned, but he gets down when he has to and I'm so glad he found himself in this series and began to perform like the D. Wade he used to be. But like D. Rose before him in these post season games and Jordan before them all, you can't be a team by yourself. What was to be his ultimate solution proved itself to be his ultimate undoing. I can only imagine how ridiculous he must feel having to sit there during every postgame interview next to a dude he probably has wanted to punch in the face at least once during this whole bizarro soap opera.

Throwing Tomatoes
I'm just a regular guy with a regular life, living it everyday. There's no hate here. I genuinely expected more just as I did last year. Here is a self-proclaimed champion collapsing in on himself before the game is even over and now I've got to explain what's happening to my son and keep him respectful of this man on the TV. Regarding that real, venomous hate spewing from the Midwest, Cleveland needs to move on. Dan Gilbert needs to be a true owner and drop his former player off his radar and definitely out of his Tweets. They can't be mad that they gave one man, honestly, a boy at the time, so much power over them. And wishing bad on another human being brings about its own ill will on the wisher. This may be the reason why Cleveland is the sports town it is, but it's not my place to say. I'm not from there. Regarding LBJ's management of the hate cast his way: it shouldn't even be a conversation. A Tweet, a Facebook status, an email, whatever, is irrelevant (remember what I said about giving one hot damn). Unless it's a hateful reporter and until someone starts throwing beer at you from the stands, man up and ignore it. You chose to dance on this stage. Sometimes you have to dance when they are throwing tomatoes too. These so-called haters don't pay your bills or write your checks just as you don't theirs. A man who aspires to be a Man among men should be able to walk amongst the common man, not call him out on his "commonness" of which he is fully aware.
During my last trip to South Beach I saw more "common folk" than I did residents of Star Island. Everyone dancing out in front of the American Airlines Arena after the Bulls were defeated this year didn't look like they were living celebrity lifestyles.

Addressing the insignificance of the common man's fickle insensitivity to you makes you just as fickle. You also alienate those who support you and those who were barely paying attention to you. At the end of the day you are just one person with 15 minutes of fame. The common man is a fraternity of people who will endure as long as humans walk this Earth.

LeBron only had to go one place for the change that he so desired for The Ring he wants so badly: the man in the mirror. As his desires aren't matching neither his actions nor his outcomes it's pretty easy to assert that something is wrong. Something is missing. Something went left years ago instead of going right and he is living out the consequences now. No matter how much he changes his suits, environments, teams...whatever. The results will always be the same because like the dude who can't find love again and again and again, the problem never was about the females he dated or the city he lived in. LBJ's problem(s), from the obvious to the ones we, the regular people, will never understand (nor should we) will always be the burden of everyone else (right now the Heat's and the City of Miami's) until he learns this. I imagine if this blog still exists in 2012 I will be writing this post again around the exact same time with the exact same picture for the third year in a row. I'll be genuinely surprised if I'm not. Maybe this wouldn't matter so much to me if I wasn't currently neck-deep in one of the biggest fights of my life. One where my faith, hope and optimism are all at stake. I refuse to concede any of them. Maybe I could have just watch these games without introspection if I didn't have someone in my own life who is frighteningly LeBron-like. Maybe none of this would matter at all if i didn't have a son.

Last night James tweeted “The Greater Man upstairs know when it’s my time. Right now isn’t the time,” after the Heat lost Game 6.

As Jason Whitlock and nearly every other person on the planet has said since then, "God doesn’t care about the NBA Finals." What He does care about the condition of your heart and how you use it to march forward through that which opposes you as Dirk, The Jet, J. Kidd and Tyson Chandler did. This way the doors of opportunity won't slam shut on you once they are opened to you.

Parents, husbands, wives, children and dreamers, this has been your Teachable Moment, courtesy of LeBron James.

E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Things are getting pretty busy around here: summer stuff with the kids, a sudden spike in this blog's attention, my own continual and exhausting search for a viable, and meaningful revenue stream in this economy, the NBA Finals and the HEAT (not Miami)! Where I live it's been over 90 degrees for 10+ straight. I'm drinking 72 ounces of water per day to fight off the exhaustion and delirium that comes from being in the heat (it should go without saying that my trips to the restroom have increased also, but the benefits of drinking water are worth it).

I just wanted to remind you all of the different ways you can connect to this site and it's related products and services via the wonders of the Internet and social media. This also includes those of you who visit/browse, but don't comment.

This is my RSS Feed, the quickest, cleanest way to stay tuned in to MakesMeWannaHoller.com

If you feel you need to catch up on what's written here please visit my Archive where you'll find 690+ post written by yours truly.

Follow me on Facebook where you can dig into discussions, read news, and get updates on contests and information that I don't mention here.

Read, Tweet and ReTweet or whatever you like with me over at Twitter.

I've got videos for days (a couple anyway) over at my YouTube Page.

I like to take pictures. Out of the thousands I've taken so far I have a hundred or so up on Flickr.

And if you Kindle, for just a few cents a day you can read this blog on your device.

To learn a little more about me and the books I've published to date, click on my Amazon.com Author Page.

To learn more about the little book I'm publishing for and about Dads click DAD: As Easy As A, B, C!

Next week I'll be releasing my gift guide for DAD, maybe a contest of two, and am looking forward to featuring some everyday dads here on the blog. Finally, if you happen to be someone who still listens to the radio I'm scheduled to be a guest on the Michael Baisden Show on Tuesday afternoon.

Enjoy the weekend. Stay hydrated...


E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Field of Vision is a family-friendly made for TV movie that promotes a plethora of positive messages for teens and kids. The most important of these, by far, is taking a stand to do what is right no matter the consequences. This Walmart and Proctor & Gamble production challenges both of its protagonists --- two high school students who become unlikely allies. The first is Tyler McFarland, a young man who sits pretty at the top of the high school caste system as the handsome star quarterback and captain of the football team and the son of good pedigree. His mother (Faith Ford) is the beloved high school counselor of Sinclair West High and his father is a former football champion at the same high school. Then there is Corey Kimble, a kid, by all definitions, from the wrong side of the tracks --- orphaned, academically unstable and a reclusive outcast. But Corey is clearly performing beneath his potential and is a natural on the football field.

Upon transferring to Tyler's school after yet another bad experience at his previous school, Ford's Mrs. McFarland challenges Corey to do better and to do more. Taking her up on the challenge, he immediately catches the attention and ire of a few members of Tyler's team. Thus begins a series of unfortunate episodes of bullying that create the conflicts that both young men must see themselves through. Will Tyler put an end to the bullying he's been turning a blind eye to for years and right a very blatant wrong at the expense of his team, or will he continue to look the other way? Will Corey stop carrying the burden of the tragedy he experienced as a child and accept that he deserves to be exactly where he is no matter what or who tries to tell him otherwise, or will he allow the tragedy that has occurred in his life to define him for the rest of his life?





I can't say that I was a fan of TV Family Movie Nights growing up, but in retrospect, I loved spending time with my family while watching them. If time permits, (if not, then schedule the DVR) round up the family and make sure you not only watch Field of Vision, but discuss the themes with your kids as well.

Field of Vision premieres Saturday, June 11th at 8/7c on NBC.

To learn more, visit the Field of Vision Website and Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.familymovienight.com/field-of-vision
http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight


I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.


E.Payne is the author of DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! coming Fathers' Day 2011 and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Eric Payne ©2009. All Rights Reserved.

E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

My 2 Tyrants, April 2009

As I dig through my life in the name of not being a hoarderspring-cleaning I recently happened upon some paperwork from my son's high school. It was dated last year, back when he was in the 9th grade, back when we were knee-deep in his IEP process. It listed his academic history and his family history. The academic stuff I was used to. But seeing us in black and white letters (other than the ones I type here) threw me for a loop. The descriptions of us were clinical, anesthetized, devoid of love.

I was: Stepfather (a word I've come to loathe over the years)
Mom was: Mom (as always)
Baby girl was: Half-Sister

Upon seeing the words, "half-sister", I was transported right back to the moment when I first read them: sitting in an administrative office on one side of a fully occupied, large oval table. My face twisted up just as bad a couple weeks ago as it did while I was sitting at that table reading over this same report. I was hurt. I was disgusted. I was insulted.

How dare they call her "half"! I remember thinking. What the f-bomb does that even mean? (Confession: I don't curse out loud, but I do tremendously in my head) They don't know how my son at the age of ten jumped, both feet in, to care for his baby sister. He didn't half help his mother get ready for the hospital when she went into labor (while I was speeding along in an ice storm to get to the hospital). He didn't half often rock her to sleep once she was born. He didn't half feed her. He didn't walk halfway to the trash and leave her dirty diapers on the floor when asked to throw them away (though now every piece of garbage in his hands never ever seems to make it to the trash). Conversely, his sister has NEVER half loved her brother, NEVER half hated him (as little sisters do), nor only half terrorized him, nor asked that he pick up only half of her when she is too tired or lazy to walk.

Of course I know that my son and his sister have two different fathers so they have only their mother as the shared parent --- their single source of shared DNA. But in our home they are 100% siblings who receive 1000% of their parents' love. My daughter is none the wiser and my son has never considered otherwise. I don't anticipate them changing course from this path and should they ever decide to I am fully prepared to fiercely shut down one and/or both of them.

My mother's father was DAD to the 6 kids he had with my grandmother and he loved the 3 she already had when they met as if they were his own. As a child my uncle and aunts were my uncle and aunts, period. Just as their cousins were my cousins, period.

I know it's just paperwork and unfortunately I know every blended family isn't bursting at the seams with joy or basic cohesiveness. But if it matters to you, keep at it! Thank God real love and real family are stronger than any school, doctor's or government agency's paperwork.

Long live all forms of family!


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

E.Payne is the author of the soon to be released DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.