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Shawn Bean

Shawn Bean is the executive editor of Parenting Early Years. He lives with his wife and two young sons in Florida, where family time often means fielding questions about body parts, ninjas, cavemen, and lava.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 - 16:33
One bad motherfather
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
In a recent study, 701 fathers were asked which of eight possible sources (spouses, parents, clergymen, colleagues, etc.) do they use the most for advice about being a better father. Eighty-nine percent chose "the child's mother." "My mother" was a more popular choice than "my father." Another interesting stat: 53 percent stated that mothers can adequately substitute for fathers. Basically, we are fathers who use mothers to be fathers.Read Full Post
Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 17:42
How To Be A Terrible Father
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
A week ago I wrote about a recent parenting mistake I made: I called my son a girl. It led some readers to comment on my skills as a caregiver (one wrote that I was a "parenting fail," which is a succinct way of saying "me bad talker to kid person"). Interestingly, my parenting fail was the most trafficked post I've done to date. Which underscores something we all already know: failure and dysfunction equal ratings (see Shore, Jersey; Atlanta, The Real Housewives of). Wth that in mind, I've created the horrible dad handbook. It's an easy-to-follow guide to falling short of fathering excellence. I expect this post to be huge. The Landlord huge. Tween boy playing "Papparazzi" on YouTube huge. Read Full Post
Monday, November 8, 2010 - 14:57
Pop Quiz
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
I am experiencing a once-in-a-generation event akin to Halley’s Comet finding a four-leaf clover during a leap year. Four of my guy friends are expecting babies. I’m not talking about far-off Facebook acquaintances; these dudes are a flesh-and-blood part of my everyday life. This momentous moment requires reflection, scrutiny, exploration—and a survey! It’s the first of its kind: Never before has a more inexperienced survey giver surveyed a more inexperienced group of men about their parenting inexperience. And I plan to ask the questions that no self-respecting medical organization would even consider.Read Full Post
Thursday, November 4, 2010 - 16:53
The Boy-Girl Gaffe
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
I made my son cry nine hours ago. I wake him up at 7am. and we need exactly 38-40 minutes to get ready for school. But last week, his mom decided that he's now old enough to choose his own clothes. This particular morning, he wants to wear an Izod over an Izod. That's right: the dreaded double Izod. Absolutely not, Kanye West, you'll dehydrate at recess. So he goes back to the closet. Staring. Murmuring. Staring. Precious minutes are ticking by. Finally, I have to light a fire under his Transformers undies. I say, "Come on, Jackson, you're being a girl." "A girl?" he asks, looking confused and frightened. First comes the high pitched wheeze, a balloon losing air. Eeeeeeeeeeeeee. Then the tears.Read Full Post
Wednesday, November 3, 2010 - 14:02
A Very Special Bean-o-ween
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
We were only there for a sitcom’s length, but the pumpkin patch had enough morals to fill an entire season of Growing Pains. You’d think being surrounded by 400 pumpkins would only teach your kids about the wondrous variety in the gourd world. Not the case. In that 1,800 seconds, our boys encountered several life lessons. Careful inspection. Making a decision when there are hundreds of options. Sharing. Working together. Completing a mission. Learning to wield a knife.Read Full Post
Monday, November 1, 2010 - 12:20
Pop-isms, Volume II
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
Whoever invented the Uncrustable deserves the Nobel Prize for snack foods… The only people who use “no” and “don’t” more than parents are street sign writers…  Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba needs to see a dermatologist pronto…Read Full Post
Thursday, October 28, 2010 - 16:06
The Break-up Breakdown
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
We're currently working on the February 2011 issue, so I've been researching a bunch of facts and figures related to Valentine’s Day. I wasn’t stunned by $2.8 billion, the amount we spent on jewelry in February 2008. Ditto for 24.5 pounds, the per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2007 (imagine a Thanksgiving turkey made of M&Ms). But the number that stuck out was 8. That's the average length in years of first marriages ending in divorce. I got married in 2002.Read Full Post
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - 16:11
Nookie Monster
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
I've posted an open letter to all the moms out there. I have only one question: who’s to blame for the lackluster post-baby romance?Read Full Post
Monday, October 25, 2010 - 10:59
Pop-isms, Volume I
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
I’m not into baby carriers. Marsupial is not a good look for me… My six-year-old has more questions about volcanoes than I have answers…. Thanks to the recession, the stay-at-home dad population is growing faster than the stay-at-home mom population... I don’t care how many wheels it has. Jogging behind a stroller is impossible…Read Full Post
Thursday, October 21, 2010 - 11:41
Saved By The Bump
by Shawn Bean
Pop Culture
It's not every day you get pitched stories about two cast members from Saved By The Bell. But that's what happened on Tuesday. In the morning, I was notified that Kelly Kapowski (aka Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) was available for interviews to discuss Petit Nest, her new line of designer cribs and nursery furniture. An hour later, this subject header popped up in my inbox: "Exclusive interview opportunity with Mario Lopez." A.C. Slater is promoting his new VH1 reality show about fatherhood, and his Pampers-sponsored baby shower taking place this weekend. Oh, and did I mention that in May he announced his forthcoming book about first time fatherhood?Read Full Post

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