{"id":230,"date":"2011-07-15T07:01:59","date_gmt":"2011-07-15T11:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/dadequate\/?p=230"},"modified":"2011-07-14T18:03:22","modified_gmt":"2011-07-14T22:03:22","slug":"meet-a-dad-scott-mcclellan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dadequate\/2011\/07\/meet-a-dad-scott-mcclellan.html","title":{"rendered":"Meet a Dad: Scott McClellan"},"content":{"rendered":"

The goal of Meet a Dad<\/em>:<\/strong> Profile a dad and let him share his fatherly wisdom with us. Some of these dads will be well-known in certain circles; others will be largely unknown outside of their immediate circles. Doesn’t matter, because I think just about every father has as much (or more) to share than I do.<\/p>\n

Today’s dad is my friend Scott McClellan, who lives in Dallas, Texas, and is a big advocate for adoption and foster care<\/a>.<\/p>\n

————<\/p>\n

\"Scott<\/a>Tell us who you are and what you do…<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a writer, editor, and conference director for an outfit called RT Creative Group<\/a>.\u00a0I\u2019m the least talented one of the bunch, but I\u2019ve made peace with that.<\/p>\n

What can you tell us about your family?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My wife and I have two girls — one just turned three and the other is only a few weeks old. Needless to say, we\u2019re tired.<\/p>\n

What is one thing you do that qualifies you for being an above-average dad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hardest question ever? Honestly, I\u2019m not sure there\u2019s anything that qualifies me as an above-average dad. But I have tried something that I bet most dads haven\u2019t: I\u2019ve tried to educate myself. One of our daughters joined our family by way of adoption, which can potentially present some challenges along the way. In hopes of being the best parents we can to our kids, my wife and I have read books, participated in training events, and connected with other families on similar journeys. At the risk of generalizing, my guess is that most dads avoid that thing.<\/p>\n

What is one thing you do that results in eye rolls and\/or exasperation from your kids?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My kids aren\u2019t old enough to experience fully-realized exasperation, but I can already see it coming. I can\u2019t resist a good pun or a corny \u201cDad joke\u201d (much to my wife\u2019s chagrin), and there\u2019s no way my kids are going to appreciate it.<\/p>\n

What is the most challenging aspect of fatherhood for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, there are two things that are constant struggles. The first is the ever-present temptation of self-centeredness. When I\u2019m tired, stressed, hungry, or whatever, it\u2019s often difficult to pause and consider what the kiddos need from me.<\/p>\n

The second is trying to remember that my kids don\u2019t think and communicate like I do. I\u2019m the analytical type, but my daughters aren\u2019t. At least not yet. For the time being, we see and understand the world differently, and that can be incredibly frustrating. The good news is that this should only be a problem for the next 20 years or so.<\/p>\n

What is your absolute favorite thing to do with your kids?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing quite like a father\/daughter Royal Rumble on a king-size bed. The louder and more theatrical, the better.<\/p>\n

What’s the best advice you ever received about fatherhood?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard a few different people (how\u2019s that for specificity?) espouse the idea that your children don\u2019t need you to be perfect, they just need you to be present. Yes, there\u2019s still pressure on us to show up, but there\u2019s no pressure to perform up to anyone\u2019s idealized standards.<\/p>\n

If another father asked you for one piece of advice about being a dad, what would you tell him?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This might sound weird, but I\u2019ve found it really helpful to view everything my daughter does as temporary. If she has been sleeping really well for a few weeks, I\u2019m thankful, but I don\u2019t get too excited — it\u2019s temporary. Sooner or later, she\u2019ll go through a stretch where she doesn\u2019t sleep well. If she has a week where she has a bad attitude, I don\u2019t despair — it\u2019s temporary. Sooner or later, we\u2019ll work through it together. Whether it\u2019s general behavior, eating habits, minor illnesses, following instructions, etc., I\u2019ve found that the \u201cit\u2019s temporary\u201d outlook keeps me from getting too high or too low. In fact, it keeps me on my toes. Regardless of how things are going right now, something else is just around the corner.<\/p>\n

Please indicate any blog or social media links if readers would like to connect with you online.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I tweet — @ScottMcClellan<\/a> — and I maintain a modest personal blog — ScottLikes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

————<\/p>\n

Previous dads:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kristian Mattila<\/a><\/p>\n

Bryan Allain<\/a><\/p>\n

Rob Stennett<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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