This is quite possibly one of he best, if not the best, father-son pic I've ever seen. With over a million views and it being shared all over the Internet, I'm not alone in this belief. It's entitled "I know a good dad when I see one." Reddit user, resgestae, snapped this pic at a Home Depot store. This Dad clearly decided to stay in character with his son and is totally unaware of the camera that would share his Power of Dad with the world.

---

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

It's only been a few days but 2013 has truly been a year of Restoration for me. And I can't wait to share some of my good news with you as I am allowedable.

As a new friend I met put it, I am doing what I am supposed to in order to "position myself properly" to receive God's blessings. (Tangent to be continued in a later post).

Part of this restorative process for me was to join a discussion group attached to the church I attend. And it has been a wonderful experience spending time with like-minded individuals who are invested in growing their personal relationships with The Man Upstairs.

In the midst of our discussions I revealed I am a Dad and not only a Dad but a Dad blogger. It's impossible not to divulge this nugget when I am asked what I'm passionate about.

Looking at my life from my own lens everyday is pretty regular and routine for me. I do what I do from before sun up and continue usually past midnight. It is a part of me, who I am, like my name and my skin color and the fact that I rock a baldie. I don't even think about it.

So I was surprised when during a recent meeting my being a dad came up more than once --- unknowingly couched as a hindrance. With the following statement spoken in jest being the one that stood out to me the most. I'm paraphrasing, but not much:

"You're a dad and all, I don't want you to get into trouble with the wife for spending too much money on lunch...you do have a family."

Actor-comedian Anthony Anderson, co-star of NBC’s Guys With Kids, hosts the 34th annual UNCF An Evening of Stars® Educating our Future Presented by Target. The show premieres nationwide on Saturday, January 26 (check local listings for stations and times) and airs on BET Networks on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. EST. The nationally televised variety show focuses public attention on America’s need for more African American college graduates and UNCF’s work getting students to and through college.

The show features Grammy-Award winner and founder of the New Look Foundation, Usher Raymond, presenting a four-year college scholarship to Milwaukee, Wisconsin high school senior, Ammon Lyle. Additionally, superstars Steve Harvey, Kevin Hart and Chaka Khan will present scholarships to deserving college and college-bound students.

The national audience will be electrified by performances and appearances by some of the hottest names in entertainment including Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, Charlie Wilson, Keyshia Cole, Trey Songz, Tyrese Gibson, Melanie Fiona, Eric Benet, Tracee Ellis Ross, Keenan Ivory Wayans and many more.

To learn more click on the ad at the top of the sidebar or visit UNCF An Evening of Stars on Facebook.

---

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

Communication is the name of the game. Try your best to do it sooner, rather than later.

---

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

Attention Parents: For those of you with teens who are getting close to college-age, specifically high schoolers in their junior year or younger. I'd like to suggest the Posse Foundation as an option for you.



The time to act is when your child is a junior in high school. Make sure they are tuned in with their high school counselors and make sure their counselor(s) are aware of Posse. They currently have sites in the following cities:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New Orleans
• New York
• Washington, D.C. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here. I'm a Posse volunteer in the Atlanta area and have been brought to tears watching kids earn and receive their scholarships. If I can't assist you I will put you in touch with someone who can.

---

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

I'll be tweeting today, Live at Noon EST, about some of my favorite subjects --- parenting and family, as a part of the first Raising America Twitter Party. Please see the details below from the Raising America event page:

Do you have concerns, ideas, wishes or dreams you would like to see mentioned on an upcoming episode of Raising America? Here’s your chance to chat with Kyra Phillips and the rest of the team on Twitter!

We'll be discussing topics and ideas for upcoming shows; it’s going to be lots of fun to brainstorm! The chat wouldn’t be complete without YOUR ideas and opinions though so we welcome YOU to join in on our Tweet Chat!

So start thinking of some ideas on topics you would like to hear discussed. What topics have been discussed in your family lately? What is important to you and your life as a parent?

Hosts: @HLNTV, @KyraHLN, @PTPA, @PTPASharon

Hashtag: #RaisingAmerica
Haven’t participated in a Tweet Chat before? Here’s a link with some tips and information to help you out: http://on.hln.tv/5Jb2cU

Thanks to our friends at PTPA for hosting this! http://www.ptpamedia.com/

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below. We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

As far as speeches go, this one is pretty amazing. For it's content, it's delivery and what it went on to stand for in the American psyche.



In 2013, my hope and prayer is that this speech, along with President Obama's Inaugural address today will resonate in our hearts and minds for longer than just the emotional moments in which they were delivered.

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below. We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

When news of Shawty Lo's new reality show, All My Babies' Mamas, first broke I was silent online. I talked about it with my wife in the real world but deep down inside I feared what might happen if this show made it to the airwaves. What would all the babies who watch TV unsupervised think? How would they be impacted by this nonsense? What would all the people who buy into reality TV believe? How badly would the reality of the African American man and father be permanently tarnished by this show that I REFUSE to link to (or display any pics of) in any way whatsoever. Worser still, what would white people think --- the ones who don't think too highly of us to begin with and those who, because we are of different cultures, really might not know what to think or believe. I felt silence was my best protest while many others stormed social media, signed a petition and worked almost tirelessly to shut this nonsense down.

Thankfully this time, this loud majority has swayed the thinking of the television producers to cancel this "show" before it ever had a chance to be the biggest PR disaster in the history of fatherhood. It is a perfect example of social media for social good at work. One such member of this majority is the dynamic duo, Ronnie and Lamar Tyler of BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com - A Positive Image of Marriage and Family. They were there when the rumor became truth that this show was slated to air and from what I can tell they were one of the first to break the story of it's premature demise. To get their take on things, keep reading:

Shawty NO: Controversial Reality Show Gets Canceled

You can continue reading this article where it originally appeared.


Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below. We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

When planning for peace, prepare for war. Thanks movies this statement has been raised to dramatic proportions, but it is so unbelievably true. People who meet me sometimes believe I'm mellow or don't sense the urgency of a situation, but when you've been battling beasts, swatting away butterflies is nothing.

Speaking of planning for peace, I'd be remiss not to mention the significance of this day: the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Like Ghandi he was a peacemaker who dug his heels in and battled a war that erupted around his actions to bring to the national stage the reality that all people, regardless of skin color, socioeconomic status and so on, are created equal and should be treated with equal dignity and afforded equal opportunities.

Thought's? Let's continue the conversation. Talk to me at @EPayneTheDad or on Google+ at +Makes Me Wanna Holler - Man, Dad, Husband. Or share your thoughts on Facebook or Disqus below.

I had to reach out to my favorite foodie, Chef Michelle, once I realized she had disappeared. She'll explain it all below in her first, inspirational and informative post for 2013!

I know it has been a very long time, please forgive my absence  I started a new job at the end of last year and it has me zig zagging all over the world! A lot of exciting things have happened in addition to my new job, I got engaged  for one! Wooooo Hooooo! Anyhow, Happy 2013 to you all and I am very happy to be back!

January of each new year has people rushing to the gym and watching what they eat.. Going along with that theme, I thought I would share a post  that I guest blogged for Silencebeseen last year on High vs. Low Vibration Food. There is nothing wrong with a diet now and again, but maybe instead of depriving yourself you can try feeding your body some healthy, good-for-you-inside-and-out, high vibration food. Also know as, fresh produce. Check it out....

So I had a revelation today I've been pondering for some time now: the work I do comes easy to me, so easy that I can see the solution (which can be days or months off) as the challenge is being presented to me. So the real challenge has now become how many people I can help by doing this thing I'm good at. Maybe for the first time I've recognized I am now making a living doing what I've been divinely gifted to do - what comes naturally, and yet I've questioned it, wondering if I'm not working hard enough or I must be doing something wrong if things are coming together so easily and so right.

???

During lunch today I wondered, is this what it is like for the Jordans and the Bolts of the world? To just go out and get it done with an apparent effortlessness that leaves others scratching their heads while pursuing a bigger challenge --- a legacy that lives beyond you in the lives of others? It makes sense: I'm 41, I've been practicing my craft for decades now. I've failed again and again and again to get to where I am right now.

Moral of the story: don't question what you're good at, just roll with it.


Thoughts? Please, let me know in the comments below. We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

If possible, every man should have at least one well-made pair of wingtips. Dress 'em up or dress 'em down. They just work. Where women's shoes are in style today and out of style tomorrow, the wingtips you own today will be the ones you'll own as a grandfather.

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the comments below. We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

I am the father of a senior in high school. Similar to the way things were when I was coming up, he is going to college. The difference between then and now is that I am way more in my son's head about college than my father was in mine.

Being so hands-on in my son's process has caused me to realize remember what an arduous process preparing to go to college is: deciding what schools you want to attend, planning trips to them if your schedule or wallet permits, getting recommendations, filling out applications, scholarships, writing essays, etc.

In the midst of all this I stumbled upon a great website that lays out the basics revolving around going to college and gives both parent and child a timeline to work with, letting you know where you should be in your pursuit of higher education and why you should be considering it, period. And the most beautiful part? It has information available not only to high schoolers, categorized by the year they are in, but also for middle schoolers. Nowadays and maybe all along college should begin to become a topic of conversation at home and school for the 6th through 8th grade set. The Olympic athletes we so revere have been athletes for a LONG time. Shouldn't the same apply when it comes to academic excellence?

The name of the site is KnowHow2Go. Like me, you may have even seen the following PSA on television during a game:




Going to college isn't nearly as harrowing nor frightening when you are prepared and informed. This goes for both parents and kids. Do it sooner, rather than later.


Thoughts? Please, let me know in the comments below. We can also talk about it on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.

Sounds good to me. Do a little more kissing in 2013.

I'd love to hear what reasons you have for kissing (keep it PG please)? Do you kiss the one you love (or like)?

---

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @EPayneTheDad.