Welcome to the new year. Now is the time of resolution and resolve, the making better of that which needs bettering. There’s a helluva lot of betterment to strive for, but as our community is built upon virtual connectivity, let’s look there.
At a time when many of us are re-evaluating how we live our lives, a lot of discussion on the Internet recommends spending more time off the Internet. Which is understandable, given its current struggle for authenticity. But if the Internet is to reassert its humanity, it needs us to participate. After all, the Internet is but the sum of its parts, and those parts are us. Who better to inject positivity and appreciation into the machine than those creating it?
We’re seeing encouraging trends: A passionate call for old-school self-expression in personal blogs. Brands who favor the importance of engaged nanoinfluencers versus the perceived disconnect of the masses. And this Facebook post (which fittingly serves as our first Porchlight Post of 2019) from our friend and Dad 2.019 Speaker Caleb Gardner, who knows the Internet is a kind of garden that needs constant “gardning.” He still plans to “go high” because the alternative is “not something I’m willing to let my kids see me do.”
Temptation is strong to fight the fires on our timelines with more of the same, only lower with twice the heat. But that’s still just fanning the flames that will ultimately burn us all down. Channeling our energy into action, the pursuit of knowledge and facts, may not be the easiest path, but there is a greater chance of change for the better when we become the change we want to see.
And we conduct ourselves in the way we want our children to see.
IN THE NEWS
It’s easy to think kids have cornered the market on happiness, but there’s light at the other end of the timeline, too.
For co-parenting families, the holidays can be extra tricky.
Turns out, Fortnite is more than a game with an awesome dance floor, it’s also a social network that is connecting generations. Who knew?
“Whether a dad has experience of a particular problem or not, they might just be somebody to talk to.”
“Becoming a father is a monumental transition in the lives of men.”
“This past year we learned that guns send 8,000 kids to the ER, that helicopter parenting can harm child development, that screen time isn’t so bad, and that parents engage in 2,184 arguments with their kids annually.”
How do you teach kids to be honest?
It’s official, when it comes to family household chores everybody hates the dishes.
Being a better you doesn’t need to be difficult.
All this week, we’re celebrating our 28 year-end Porchlights on Twitter:
And now, onto 2019:
PORCHLIGHT POSTS
- “I believe I can still be an effective advocate for justice, maybe even more so, when I act out of love. That’s what I hope my kids watch me do in 2019.” – Caleb Gardner, Why I Still Plan To “Go High” In 2019
- “I’ve tried taking away all pacifiers once before. Oh yes, I ventured bravely into that battle.” – Shannon Carpenter, Which One of You Took the Purple Pacifier
- “It’s 2019. If we all do something big or small to eliminate bad behavior this year, we’ll help make the world a better place.” – Doyin Richards, Grandpa Keeps Commenting On My Daughters’ Bodies. What Should I Do?
- “It was a good thing the wall was inflatable; otherwise my anxiety would have been even higher.” – Aaron Yavelberg, Onward and Upward in the New Year
- “This is the smallest of my resolutions: I want to make more little things.” – Trevor LaForce, Maker Resolutions for 2019
‘GRAM OF THE WEEK
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