Man Drowns in Alameda, California

I was quite taken with a story that I listened to today on NPR news about a man who drowned in the water, right off the beach in Alameda, California.  This blog is generally reserved for fun and games, but when I am moved by an event I am certainly not shy about offering my opinion.  Apparently this man was trying to commit suicide by drowning himself, and the police and firefighters were alerted to it, however their local rules do not allow them to enter the water.  These so called public servants stood on the beach and watched a suicidal man tread water for an hour and did nothing.

 

What in hells bells has this country become?  What kind of man, any man, would stand and watch someone drown when they had the means to try to help him?   All they had to do was put on a life jacket and swim out to the guy and they might have saved his life.  What the hell?  I just don't get it.  As a former Marine I am accustomed to following orders.  I understand a rank structure and rules.  By the same token we were trained to use our good sense when certain situations arose.  If an order no longer makes sense in a certain scenario it is time to adapt and overcome.  To hide behind a layer of bullshit and say that we were following an order not to enter the water reeks of cowardice.  I am really perplexed by this whole situation.  I am of the opinion that any person on that beach should be fired for stupidity and negligence, and also any person who was in a supporting role such as the mayor, chief of police, fire chief, who made decisions that led to inaction in this case should be fired.  It is an embarrassment to live in a country where such horseshit can occur.  Oh yeah and by the way - they are changing the rule - no shit!

Pissed Off,

Wacky Dad

Who's The All Time Best TV Dad?

http://manofthehouse.com/worlds-greatest-tv-dad/contest

I was recently asked by http://www.manofthehouse.com to write a small piece promoting their contest - WORLD'S GREATEST TV DAD.  When I get these offers I try to decide whether my readers might be interested in the subject matter - this seems like one that you all might enjoy.  Here are the rules of play.

ManoftheHouse.com , a leading online resource for Dads has come up the "World's Greatest TV Dad" tournament just in time for Father's Day. This bracket-style competition will pit 32 favorite father figures from television against each other for an audience-voted run at the title: which character best represents the ideal American Dad and will reign supreme this year?

Through June 16, visitors can choose their favorite TV Dads from seeded pairings on ManoftheHouse.com. Every Monday the next round of match-ups will be posted, and the field of contenders will be narrowed through the audience votes. The "World's Greatest TV Dad" will be announced on just before Father's Day on Friday, June 17.

The pool of competitors were selected and seeded by the ManoftheHouse.com editorial team based up four criteria: 
1.    Shared household responsibilities
2.    Relationship with children
3.    Personal health/style/appearance
4.    Work/family balance

In addition to voting for the winning Dad, ManoftheHouse.com wants Moms and Dads to weigh in on the attributes they believe make a good father and how this parenting paradigm has shifted over the last fifty years.


I don't know about you all but the choice between Mike Brady and Charles Ingalls is a heart rending decision for me!  Have fun with this contest and happy early Father's Day to all of you dads out there who are kicking butt and taking names!


Happily A Dad,


Wacky Dad


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

Wacky Giveaway - $50 toward a www.localpages.com purchase!

How does $50 toward an electronics purchase at www.localpages.com sound!  This giveaway opens 9 pm on May 26th and closes at 9 pm on June 2nd.  Good luck!

Once again Wacky Dad is delivering for my readers! $50 toward an electronics purchase through www.localpages.com.   Local Pages is the leader in local coupons, discounts, and advertising. Local Pages has a ton of shopping deals available at your fingertips. Plus they want to give you $50 to make it more fun! All you need to do is comment on this post and say why you are most proud of your son or your daughter. Make it wacky because I am the judge on this one!

*Eligibility requirements: In order to be eligible to win, commenters must be at least 18 years old, reside in the U.S. and must not have won any Local Pages giveaways within the past 30 days. There is a one prize per household limit per 30 day period. 

My Daughters Dance in The Spotlight

Abby and Ailey are the 2 girls right in the middle

I have to take 1 post to brag a bit about my 2 older daughters.  This week they performed in the "Chance To Dance" show at the Providence Performing Arts Center here in RI.  For you out of staters, "PPAC" is our small state's most beloved of theaters.  It is truly a historical gem, and is absolutely gorgeous inside.  My parents used to watch movies in this ornate theater as kids, but now it is for live shows.  "Chance to Dance" is an established arts program that gives Rhode Island children in grades three through six a unique hands-on experience with the arts. From October through May, children participate in weekly dance classes held in their schools during school hours. These classes are taught by specially trained, professional dance teachers and are accompanied by a live musician. The program concludes with a full scale dance performance at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

 My girls really loved the experience of being out in front of a crowd of a thousand or so people.  The dances were pretty well put together for kids that only practiced once a week.  The best thing was seeing how excited they were to perform in such an important venue as PPAC.  These photos don't do the theater any justice but they give you the sense of this place's history.  Abby and Ailey, I was proud to watch you dance on such a big and imposing stage.  Just the thought of me doing it makes me want to hide behind a couch!  I don't know where you both find the guts to get out in front of a crowd and perform with such grace.  I am very proud to be your dad you two!

Love,


Wacky Dad

Parenting - Help Your Kid Win!

     Today was a quiet day at the Costantino household.  My older girls were out with mom for recital pictures and Mia hung out with me, that is until Papa came along and picked her up for a Sunday ride.  I used this time to tackle some needed repairs to my lawn equipment that I haven't had a chance to get done this year.  I also repaired a seriously broken down bicycle that my buddy Billy needed fixed for one of his kids.

I realized while working on my broken lawnmower just how much I really enjoy taking something that is not working and fixing it.  You see, when I was a young kid I did not typically play with normal toys.  Instead, I would scour my neighborhood, looking for broken-down lawnmowers left behind in other people's trash, and I would take them all apart and then make them run again.  I didn't do it to eventually cut grass, I did it just to prove to myself that I could fix them.  
I grew up with my hands in grease.  By the time I was five years old, I could pick out socket sizes by sight alone and all through my young life, I worked with my dad on all of our old shit-box cars!  
It never really dawned on me until today just why I loved fixing all of these old junkers.  It was the feeling of success, of "winning", that accompanied the successful repair (and not a Charlie Sheen type 'winning' but a true 'winning, win').  I was able to take a motor that someone had thrown away as trash and "ressurect it from the dead".  In my mind I was winning, and I still win every time I repair one of these little motors.  To this day, I still have never bought a lawnmower or weedwacker.  The ones I own have all been "derelicts" that people have given me.  The rider-tractor I own was bought used for $200, and the snowblower, leaf blower, and hedge trimmer I have were all bought at yard sales for under $20.  Every time I fix one of these babies, I win again.  Not just monetarily, but psychologically too!
    Ok, so are you wondering what this has to do with kids?  Here it is.  No matter what it is, I think it is important to give your kids the gift of winning.  It doesn't matter what they win at, but make sure they win.  When I repaired those lawnmowers as a kid, I wasn't beating anyone in a race or winning a medal or trophy, but I was filled with the knowledge that I could master any broken down motor.  Feeling that kind of success has made a big difference in my life.  If you can win at one thing, then you start to think "why can't I succeed at other things".  I know this seems simple but it is easy to overlook while we are all trying so hard to expose our kids to a multitude of different experiences.  Don't get me wrong, I am all for diversity and life experience.  But once your kids do find something they love, and that they excel at, then help them focus on it.  It can be music, art, academics, sports, or cockroach racing, it doesn't matter.  When they are succeeding, make sure they know they are "winners". 
Pretty soon you will have kids that have great self confidence, and aren't afraid to take on new tasks.  I am definitely not a psychologist - I am just a dumb kid from West Warwick, RI, but I am convinced that this feeling of success is extremely important in helping us grow into happy, healthy, and productive adults.  Something as simple as fixing broken trash can make your kids life more complete, you just need to help them find the right "trash heap"!  Good luck!




Greasy Handed and Happy,


Wacky Dad