South of Canada's Urban Dad took the family to the opening of the Mill City Farmers Market this past weekend, and was in great company. Check out his photo recap this fantastic downtown family outing!     More info: Mill City Farmers Market 704 South 2nd Street Minneapolis, MN 55415 (612) 341-7580   Image on main page via Mill City Farmers Market on Facebook--- "Like" for updates and news!  

The Essential Gear of Every Urban Dad: The Urban Stroller.

When I was young, not too long ago, parents had these little things to shuttle their kids in called umbrella strollers.  They were fairly clumsy, yet easy to throw into the grocery go getter for any outdoor adventure.  At the time, parents were concerned about having enough face time with their child and so strollers were not used all that much. Let's fast forward to 2011.

 

If there is one thing that gets everyone’s attention downtown it’s a happy father shuttling his smiling pride around in a double stroller on a sunny day.  Someone in the past decade got wise and figured out strollers should mirror pre-gas crisis SUV’s (the really, really big ones), and loaded up strollers with all sorts of extras.  Extras no rational human should ever need but are definitely nice to have in case of an emergency, otherwise known as an overly tired child.  For example, no stroller should need four cup holders, an on-board ipad/GPS system, off road wheels, airbags, and a compass.  However if you find yourself seriously contemplating these stroller options, congratulations, you are caring person and a concerned father.  At first glance, some of these items sound absolutely absurd.  However, I challenge any negative nelly out there to keep a few toddler's attention and safety in mind while going through the city WITHOUT one of these.  So, the quintessential urban stroller for parents with 2 kids? Hands down-- the BOB.       

 

At first glance the BOB could pass for an adult sized stroller.  The tires on the BOB are ultra rugged, rubber, air filled tires that allow parents to leave the boredom of the sidewalk for the ultimate urban adventure. The stroller boasts 16′ rear tires and a 12′ front wheel. The front wheel swivels for easy agility as well as has the ability to lock for added safety and control while jogging. Unlike many swivel wheel jogging strollers the front wheel really locked and locked tight.  Having 2 kids we wound up springing for the BOB Duallie (pictured above).  These things are not cheap—we scored a used one on craigslist. 

After hitting the city with the kids it become overly apparent that the people at BOB had both safety and comfort in mind when designing this stroller. Our 2 year old Finnegan stays secured with a 5-point harness, which is easily adjusted with the pull of a cord. Each seat is properly padded so that your children will remain both secure and comfortable while you are out on the streets.  In addition, the stroller offers a foot operated parking brake that locks both rear wheels at the same time.  As the warmer months come to downtown Minneapolis keep your eyes peeled for a happy kids and parents moving all over downtown in one of these!

 

-Ben G.

 

Dude, nobody warned me what it was going to be like when I became a Urban Dad. Nobody took me aside, knuckled my head and whispered the secrets of being a father.  It was a shock like no other the first time I was left alone with my kid.  I was lost, out to sea, up to my necks in it.

Well, I survived and our kids survived so I’m here to pass along a little of that hard-won wisdom. Okay, not exactly wisdom, more like experience disguised as wisdom.

Your Personal Health Improves. Research shows that the structure that comes into a man's life because of fatherhood helps him make better choices. Having a family to come home to and be responsible for helps a guy choose a healthier lifestyle.

Your Activity Level Increases. Getting up at night, playing with the kids, walking at the park – all these kinds of work and play make dad more active and thus feeling better about himself.

It Reduces Stress Related Ailments. The National Institute of Mental Health found that men who are in healthy family relationships are less likely to have stress-related health problems. Issues like chronic pain, insomnia, stomach problems and fatigue are less problematic for stable fathers than for other male subsets of the population.  That doesn’t go without saying there is still plenty of stress in the daily grind.

Your Nurturing Side Starts to Shine. So often, we see boys and young men being pretty self-focused and self-absorbed. The Minnesota Fatherhood Initiative found that guys who succeeded as fathers became less inward-focused and developed a greater ability to nurture and care for others. And not just for their children, but for their spouses, friends and coworkers.

You Have a Lower Risk for Depression. Guys who live alone have a much higher risk of depression and suicide than married men with children.

Your Job Satisfaction Improves. This may be a little counter-intuitive, but research shows that committed fathers feel more comfortable in their occupation and feel that they perform well at work more often than men who are not fathers.

You Will Cope Better With The Daily Grind. Men who are fathers tend to have better coping skills with stress in all areas of life, not just at home.  There is hope for us!

Like the Desserts Miss the Rain—Your Sex Life Will Improve. Again, this may seem a little strange to new dads, but the research is clear. Committed fathers married to their children's mother have more and better sex than men not in such a family relationship.

 -Ben G.

Almost every out of town buyer/renter that I work with as well as some moving into the city from the metro area pose this question to me: why do you live in this city?  I’ll go further into my old answer in an upcoming video as I describe a typical day in Minneapolis for the Urban Dad however a recent video posted on Vimeo captures what I believe is the essence of the people that live in Minneapolis. 

 

The video is a collection of casual interviews pasted together with a visual backdrop of iconic locations in the city: Stone Arch Bridge, St Anthony Main and the Mill City Farmers market all during the summer of 2010 complemented by some fantastic local music.  People from all walks of life tell the viewers what makes them stay in Minneapolis.  The comments, the stories and the dreams of all these people convey a powerful message.  Check it out and post some thoughts!   

Video by: Seven and Sixty Productions

Image on main page-- Still from Why We're Here: Twin Cities by Seven and Sixty Productions

-Ben G.

So my wife and I have been living in Minneapolis for almost a decade.  Most of those years were amazing being right downtown watching this city grow into what it is now.  In those first 5 years we had a blast living in the Mill District—then a bun in the oven started cookin at which time we needed more space—and stat.  We sold our loft and became buyers once again with a new perspective: urban parents that needed to factor our upcoming bundle of Joy into the buying equation.  Below are 5 values that suddenly became apparent to us as we started the condo search.

1. Security within the building.

As parents we wanted our future condo to have smart keys—electronic fobs to access the common areas of the building as well as a 24-7 desk attendant in the lobby just in case in the unlikely event junior ever wandered from our floor down to the lobby.  At that point someone could stop him in his crawl.

2. Amenities in the building. 

My wife is from a warmer part of the country and every once in a while (weekly) during the cold months of the year cabin fever starts to set in.  To combat this as well as give our child some room to play outside of our condo we wanted some amenities in our future building like a yoga/Pilates room that could double as a romper room for kids.

3. Skyway access

The sequel to combating cabin fever in addition to amenities in a building is access around Minneapolis via the raised tunnels.  For a mom, baby and stroller this opens the doors to a myriad of possibilities and more importantly places to go.  Some condos are even connected to the Skyway making it even easier to get around town.

4. Near parks

Every neighborhood around the city has their respective park, Mill District has Gold Medal, North Loop now has an updated tot lot in James Rice, Downtown Central has Nicollet Mall and the Greenway, Northeast has Boom Island.  Having close access to one of these was essential for us.

5. Living in proximity to other families

While not easy to uncover at first this took a little work and the rewards were significant.  Find out details on this soon in my next post!

-Ben G.

 

I want to be real honest.  Raising little tykes is not an easy proposition—it’s a labor of love.  Compound the fact that snowmegeddon can keep kids inside for most of the cold months in Minneapolis and it’s a recipe for parents to go stir crazy along with their children.  That’s where the Minneapolis Public Library can be a lifesaver/stress reliever/caffeine booster for parents. 

 For those of you who haven’t been to Hennepin County’s latest book repository just off Nicollet Mall it is truly an amazing space for kids.  For starters there is a Dunn Bros right as you enter—inside the library!  If you are a parent (with small children) and want to kill two birds with one stone I highly recommend bringing your children during Kids Storytime.  Every Thursday morning one of the children’s resident librarians hosts an hour of reading, playing and socializing for kids.  They are free and well worth it.  Your kids can blow off some steam with other kids and you get the chance to meet some other parents who live downtown.  Most of the time the librarians are very fun and very knowledgeable about child development.  For more details check out this link.   

-Ben G.