Riding home in a taxi at 9:30 on a Wednesday night, I knew I was in trouble when I heard a voicemail message from Emily saying she'd forgotten her keys and would be waiting for me at the Starbucks near our apartment. What I didn't know was how much trouble.Sweeping into the coffee shop, I offered the breeziest of apologies. Emily was not charmed. I've been waiting here for two hours, she fumed.

If you were one of those dads who checked out when you had a parenting partner in the house, now that you’re a single dad you have no choice but to check back in. Depending on your level of involvement in the parenting before you became single, this can either be a somewhat smooth transition, nightmarish task or somewhere in between.

IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY...We drive long distances, we live in busy cities, we walk around at night, we fly all over the world...

The reality is that we do not live in a particularly safe world. I always knew that, but (possibly due to my naïveté and belief that we were all invincible) I never gave much thought to how the whole safety issue. That said, I am much more safety conscious now that I am a parent.

Work to pay the bills, get the kids off to school, make dinner, get the kids to bed, soccer games, dance recitals, piano lessons …with everything you have to do for your kids as a single dad, who has time to date? Well, you better make the time because soon your kids are going to grow up and move out, and all you'll be left with are about a billion plastic soccer trophies displayed proudly on your mantle.

My wife had a clarifying phrase she began to use early on in her pregnancy when she was hit exceptionally hard with morning sickness: All bets are off. The phrase was shorthand for a more complicated sentiment she was beginning to feel at the time.