Dads in the Limelight ( #limelightdads ) - Todd Reed #dadchat #dadstalking

Dads in the Limelight

Our 345th Dad in the Limelight is Todd Reed. I want to thank Todd for being a part of the Dads in the Limelight series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing him with all of you.

1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)

My name is Todd Reed, and at almost 45, I’ve been a dad for well over half of my life. My first child was born when I was eighteen and my last was born when I was 35. While I question whether or not I’m “in the spotlight”, I’m a homeschooling dad with a son who will be competing in the Scripp’s National Spelling Bee later this year. I write/maintain three blogs (http://dadlovesmovies.com , http://dadlovescandy.com , and http://dadlovesfamily.com). and I also contribute to http://examiner.com as a freelance entertainment writer.

2) Tell me about your family

We’re a “Yours, Mine, and Ours” family with six kids total that we raised together. Our oldest is 27 (and a mother herself) and the youngest is ten. There is almost a ten year difference between him and his next oldest sister. It’s been a wild ride. My experience parenting my first as an 18 year old and my last being born when I was 35 has been eye opening. I felt like I knew so much more as a dad, but still totally clueless in some things.

3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?

I would have to say the biggest challenge has been balancing work and family life. I’ve almost always worked overnights so that I could stay home with the kids during the day. Sleep has never been more than a casual acquaintance. So trying to find that sweet spot where I have the energy to be the dad I want to be and still able to help support my family has been something of a struggle.

4) What advice would you give to other fathers?

Enjoy every second of the experience – the late nights, the pooping, the spitting up, the no sleeping, the potty training, the tantrums…all of it. It is so easy to get caught up or completely lost in the daily grind. Relish it all. I always tell new parents that as hard as having a baby can be, it’s the easiest parenting is ever going to be. It’s the time when their problems are relatively easy to fix and you can protect them the easiest. Being a parent has been my greatest journey, and it’s one you can’t put a price on.

5) Seeing that you (or your position) are in the limelight, how have you come to balance parenthood and outside life? If you are currently not in the limelight per se, please still answer this in regards to how you balance parenthood and outside life.

For me, being a dad has been the largest part of my identity. Work has
always come secondary. I left a really good job to be able to stay home
with my youngest after the others were all in school, and I’ve turned down
some awesome opportunities to be able to continue to stay home with my son
and complete his education through homeschooling.

Todd Reed, Dads in the Limelight, #limelightdads, Dad of DIvas, dadofdivas.com

6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?

I think the biggest lesson I learned from one father in particular was to
treat my children’s mom the way I wanted my sons to treat their future
brides and the way I wanted my daughter’s boyfriends and husbands to treat
them.

7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?

There is no greater challenge a man can face or greater reward a man can
receive than being a father. It’s an overused cliche thanks to the
Spider-Man movies, but things become cliches because they’re true. With
great power comes great responsibility, and we have been given the power
and responsibility to raise the next generation.

8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?

I think the greatest thing and most memorable thing about being a parent
is getting to see the world brand new again through your child’s eyes. By
the time we become parents, it’s easy to forget how much joy can be found
in the little every day things we take for granted. As a child, a lady
bug is a miracle and we get reminded of that as parents. And if we’re
paying attention, it happens dozens of times every single day.

I’m also a huge movie fan (as you can probably tell from the fact that I
write a movie blog), and I love sharing older movies that have meaning to
me with my kids. I’m actually planning a new series called “An 80’s
Education” where I’ll show my son some of the movies that had the greatest
impact on me and use that to show him that all of life’s lessons can be
learned in movies from the 80’s.
If you have any questions for Todd, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!

Also, do you know a Dad in the Limelight? If so, please email me their contact information so that they too can be a part of this series!

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Dads in the Limelight ( #limelightdads ) – Todd Reed #dadchat #dadstalking

Dads in the Limelight

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