As a child, my dad was my all-time favourite person. 
He took me everywhere with him, whether that was the cash and carry, the park, warehouses for shop stock, relatives houses, friends’ houses, the social club; we had fun. Continue reading
Category Archives: Lessons for my Son
I Love You, Son…..Sometimes.
I love my son. More than my own life. And I think I can speak for nearly every parent out there, that there is no love quite like this.
When my son was born, I immediately fell in love with him. I mean, I dived straight into it.. I never thought I would, but I did, and before I knew it, I was telling my son “I love you” like a million times a day. Continue reading
Heart Shaped Chapatti’s
Somehow it doesn’t have the same ring as Nirvanas ‘Heart Shaped Box’ but it made me happier that he song did to see that my sone was beginning to enjoy the pleasures of cooking.
Things I’d Like My Son to Know
Lesson #14 – Punch above your weight, launching dadessentials.co.uk, just for you.
It was a conversation that I had with a friend some months ago that inspired me to share this message with you. Continue reading
Things l’d like my Son to know
Things I want my son to know. Lesson #12 – Have Courage, But don’t be afraid to cry.
“Big Boys Dont Cry”is something I used to hear a lot when I was growing up.
When I was 22, my granddad died peacefully in his sleep. He was someone I loved so much, someone who taught me the art of DIY, allowed me to drive his cars all the time, sit with him and play with him.
I remember getting the news at about 3am when I heard the house phone ring, and I immediately sensed he was gone, and it was confirmed by my mum’s crying. I jumped up in bed and burst into tears. My dad walked past, knocked on the door and saw me crying and said “Let it out now, but be strong when you get to the house” but there was no time. Granddad lived 3 doors from us, so I quickly got changed and had to dry my eyes and “be strong” for my family. Continue reading
Things I’d Like my Son to Know.
Lesson #11- You are You in Everybody.
The golden rule; “Treat others how you too wish to be treated.”
The age old saying of treating others how you wish to be treated was one that I was taught many years ago. It underpins cohesion and almost subtly enforced a social contract that I see you as someone with the shared values as I have and therefore will treat you as I expect to be treated. Continue reading
Things I’d Like my Son to Know
Lesson 10 – Friendship is priceless.
They say that you can identify the characteristics of a person by meeting the 5 people they are closest to.
I was talking to my wife some days ago, about how as we grow older, some of the friends we had as children, teenagers, young adults, seem to drift out of our lives, and we are, we hope, left with a few, strong ties, peers, family extensions we call friends. Continue reading
Things I’d Like my Son to Know
Lesson 9 – Sometimes you just need “Me-Time”
After a tiring evening putting my son to bed I realised that in the past 3 months, i’ve not taken time out to go for a walk. It was a bout 8pm and I was getting to that agitated point in my day where I felt as though I needed to expend some energy before I rest my head.
As I grabbed by jacket, keys and phone (for emergency) and exited the door and down the street, I realised I had left my prized partner at home – my wife. For once, in a very long time, I was doing something that I wanted to do, that was just about me and fresh air (as much as can be had in the suburbs of the UK) and I was actually glad for the time to myself. Continue reading
Things I’d like my Son to Know
Lesson #8 – No, Means No.
I was asked to comment on the topic of “Sex Ed – Should schools improve their delivery, including the topics of relationships, consent, abuse, sexting etc” on the BBC Asian Network. Continue reading
Things I’d Like my Son to Know
Lesson #7 – 30 seconds can change your life.
I heard a story about a 23 year old man, who was the sole man in the house looking after his mother, his siblings after his dad left.
As fate would have it, trying to make ends meet he gets into the wrong company and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. It took 30 seconds being in the wrong place, and he’s caught by the police, and I jailed for 2 years. Continue reading
Diary of a Dazed Dad 