WAFF in Huntsville, Alabama reported a week or so ago about another child identity theft victim. In this case, it was a ten year old whose mother stole her daughter's identity and ran up thousands of dollars in credit. Child identity theft is bad enough; it adds insult to injury when a child's parent is the perpetrator.

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States and child identity theft is the fastest growing aspect of this crime.  How can a father know about identity theft, how to prevent it and what to do if your child is a victim?

Our family has some really fun Thanksgiving traditions. On Thanksgiving morning while mom is busy in the kitchen, I gather the kids and make apple turkeys, which are proudly displayed on the dinner table. We also try to have the Christmas lights up outside so that they can be turned on Thanksgiving night, ushering in the Christmas season. If you have some fun traditions for Thanksgiving, click the comments link below to add yours to the list.

Last week, Julie and I attended the funeral of the 15 month old daughter of a friend and colleague. This friend and one of his friends were digging a pit in his backyard into which they were to sink a trampoline. As the friend who was driving the truck loaded with dirt taken out of the hole, he accidentally and tragically backed over his friends little 15-month old toddler who had wandered over unseen. Our friend, the child's father, attempted first aid and CPR while emergency crews were called, but the little girl died en route to the hospital. My friend Gary and his wife Amber were clearly distraught, but were remarkable examples of faith as they and their remaining four children began the grieving process. Our hearts go out to them and to all their sorrowing family and friends.

As we considered this tragedy, I thought it might be well in my blog to share some resources for parents, friends and others who might find themselves in a situation where they might offer help, healing and perspective.

Talking to Children About Tragedies
Coping With the Death of a Child
After The Death Of A Child
Buddy's Candle
The Grieving Garden: Living with the Death of a Child

It is mid-November and the holiday gift buying season is now in full swing.  Each year, I try to prepare and update several gift guides for dads with different hobbies and life interests.

For dads who are fitness buffs, this list offers ideas in a variety of price ranges.  From fluorescent running vests to stopwatches to headphones that work with active lifestyles, the list has something to offer for any dad who loves to run, jog, walk, bike or just work hard.  If you have a dad like that on your holiday gift list, you might want to check it out.

Some friends of ours recently announced that they are expecting a child after several years of working through some infertility issues. We congratulated them warmly, recalling our own struggle to conceive our first child.

Many men who want to be fathers struggle with male fertility issues. If you think you might have a lower then normal sperm count, there are a number of things you can do before seeking treatment for infertility.

I guess I always suspected this intuitively, but now there is some science to prove it.  A recent New York Times article reported on a study from Princeton University and Smith College suggesting that "when couples scored high on positive relationship traits like willingness to compromise, expressing affection or love for their partner, encouraging or helping partners to do things that were important to them, and having an absence of insults and criticism, the father was significantly more likely to be engaged with his children."

The study also showed that there are many societal barriers fathers now have to overcome to being involved dads.  The study also documented that while fathers-only programs are good at motivating fathers to be more involved, fatherhood programs involving mothers and fathers were even better at promoting father involvement.

So, dads, put this article where your partner can read it and make sure the two of you are both involved in the lives of your children!

My, how times have changed.  Some recent statistics released by California First Lady Maria Shriver and  the Center for American Progress document how much they have changed.  In 1975, the only employed member of families was the father in 44.7 percent of families.  In 31.1% of families, both parents worked.  And at that point in time, only 3% of families with married couples had only the wife working.

Today, only 20.7% of families have only the father working; 43.5% of families have both spouses working, and now 3.8% of married couples have only the wife working.

I can remember a few years ago when I was working with former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, his staff had done some research on families in Utah.  His family model, which was the traditional one (married couple with multiple children and only the husband employed) constituted less than 20% of Utah households.

One of the conclusions of the Shriver report is that not only are couples sharing in providing income for the family, but they are sharing in other family duties as well.  Read more about this new report on the changing role of fathers and see how your family situation stacks up with the statistics.