Enjoy the Holidays Responsibly!

Hope you're enjoying the weekend so far.


I live in the Miami area and I have been almost oblivious to the fact that we're in the fall/winter season. But today we're experiencing a cold front - it's actually not getting above the 60s all day!! Bbbbrrrr!!! I know that's nothing compared to the weather some of you experience but still, it's a bit cool for me.


This time of year can be so wonderful. We visit family and friends and have a wonderful time. We trade the hustle and bustle of the rat race for the joy and laughter of the holidays.


Whatever you do during this time, please exercise caution. Traditionally, alcohol consumption increases throughout the holidays, as we're in the festive season. It's great to have a good time but what a tragedy it would be if we celebrate to excess and our families are left to rebuild their lives without us after the season is done.


Many stories abound of alcohol related deaths during the holiday season. I know some of these families personally and the impact can be truly devastating. It's one thing to hear of these stories in the media. And a totally different thing when you see the lives of those you personally know and love turned upside down by this issue. 

Let's be wise in how we go about celebrating over these next several weeks. Let's have the time of our lives! But let's also be careful and responsible as we enjoy this most festive season!

May the holidays be filled with joyous celebrations for you and yours!


The Upbeat Dad

Guest Bloggers Needed!

This week I have been sharing my vision for The Upbeat Dad and where I’d like to take the organization.

As I’ve alluded to, I’d love to make the blog interactive. With that in mind, I encourage you to consider becoming a guest blogger. Ideally, I would love to have a guest blogger one day each week. That way, we can have varying viewpoints on the subject matter.

A guest blogger should be anyone with a viewpoint to share that would increase our readers’ awareness of the importance of fathers in kids’ lives.  Note that this includes dads, moms and kids.

If this is something that interests you, please contact me at: info@rodrickwaltersenterprises.com. You don’t have to have a blog of your own – you can simply email your contribution and we’ll take it from there.

Do consider becoming a guest blogger today! I strongly believe that this will make The Upbeat Dad blog even more effective and interesting.

Enjoy the remainder of your day!

The Upbeat Dad

Sneak Preview of Where We’re Going

Good Day,

I hope you’ve had a productive week and you’re looking forward to the weekend.

This week I’ve been giving you a glimpse of what I have envisioned for the better part of the last 10 years. You will see in the coming months and years why I started the organization in the first place.

Here are some of the things that are being developed:

• Conferences, seminars and workshops
• Mentoring programs in which men become father figures to the fatherless
• Books, CDs and other resources to enable fathers to become better dads
• Entertainment productions that reinforce the message of The Upbeat Dad

I’ll leave it at that for now. But I hope you’re getting a feel for where this is going and why I’m as excited as I am.

The wonderful thing is that, with technology, it’s really a small world afterall. So you can be halfway around the world and still be in touch with what’s going on as we carry out the vision.

This subject matter is so important to me. I’m fortunate that my parents have been happily married for over 40 years. They have both been “upbeat” and very much involved in my life and in those of my siblings. I also realize that not everyone has a similar experience. So it’s important to give of ourselves to ensure that others will have the positive influences to guide them as many of us have.

Please join us in this bold endeavor. Share this message with your family, friends and colleagues by following the blog, joining us on Facebook or following us on Twitter. They’ll thank you for it!

Enjoy the weekend. And as I’ve said repeatedly, always be “upbeat” for your kids.

The Upbeat Dad

The Vision Unfolds! And Upbeat Dad Contest Preview!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, this week I will be sharing how The Upbeat Dad blog will be used to ensure that we have more involved fathers in our kids’ lives. We recognize that there is a crisis and our kids are at a disadvantage as a result.

Our approach is necessarily multifaceted. Based on my observation and research, some of the major causes of the crisis are:

• Fathers who simply neglect to fulfill their responsibility to their children
• Fathers who genuinely want to be good dads but because of the biased family law system, become discouraged and walk away
• Fathers and mothers who use kids as “pawns” in a power struggle with their exes
• Fathers who did not have fathers of their own and therefore do not have a basic understanding of what fatherhood is all about

There are many more reasons but I believe each of these is significant.

How will we address this? Step one, I believe, is to highlight the issues. Then initiate dialogue. With that said, I encourage you to join our conversation as we address these issues. I count it a privilege to have so many readers of the blog. I’d also count it a privilege to hear your thoughts. So please chime in whenever you have thoughts to share that would give your perspective on these issues.

Upbeat Dad Contest Preview!

On another note, sometimes when we are addressing a problem, we are often guilty of failing to highlight the positive stories. On this blog, I’d like to hear of the ones that help us know that there are lots of upbeat dads who have helped to raise wonderful kids. We will have “upbeat dad” contests with prizes awarded to those whom you nominate!

Stay tuned because it’ll make this an interactive process. You may want to nominate your own dad, or your husband or perhaps your neighbor who went through a bitter divorce but became a better father as a result. Begin thinking about this now because I think it’ll be good!

There’s much more that I envision through this organization. I hope this kinda wets your appetite for what is to come!

Enjoy the remainder of the day. And as always, be upbeat for your kids.

The Upbeat Dad

One Month Down, Many More Lives to Touch!

Good Day,

I trust that you’re having a productive day.

This week is a great milestone: it marks one month since the launch of the blog, The Upbeat Dad. I’m excited and encouraged with the feedback we received thus far. Some of you have spoken by posting responses; others have spoken by becoming fans of the Facebook page; others, by following us on Twitter. And some of you have spoken with me directly.

It’s an encouraging sign that the vision that I spoke about when the blog was first launched is already being carried out – and others’ lives have been enhanced as a result. If you’re new to the blog, I encourage you to read the posting The Story Behind the Upbeat Dad which I posted on Friday, October 1, 2010 to learn of my background and why I’m so passionate about this area. You will also read of the vision that I have for the blog. It’s bigger than anything I’ve ever envisioned because it speaks to a great need that transcends political, ethnic, religious and social barriers.

The crisis of absentee fathers and deadbeat dads affects us all, in more ways than we are even aware. In the past month, I have raised some issues that highlight the problems we face as a society as a direct result of this issue. I have also spoken to the issue that fathers of all kinds need to be involved in their kid’s lives.

Now, I would like to begin the process of effecting change. For the remainder of this week, I will be outlining how I envision doing this. It’s something that I need your help to do. The problem is universal and no one person can make the changes alone.

I encourage you to become involved in the dialogue – on the blog or on Facebook. I also encourage you to give suggestions for what you would like to see from the blog and from the Upbeat Dad organization as a whole.  As I mentioned, the vision is bigger than anything I’ve undertaken before. And I’d have it no other way. Why? Because the goal of the organization is a noble one – to help our children to have the positive influence of their fathers and father figures.

If you believe in the message of The Upbeat Dad, pass it on, won’t you?  If you’re on Facebook, please become a fan of our page. And suggest it to others who you know might be interested. I know quite well that this message is much needed. And in the coming weeks, months and years, you will see why I say this now.

We’re going to a good place with this! So stay tuned – there’s much much more to come!

The Upbeat Dad