Happy Father's Day—or "Congrats-On-All-We've-Learned" Day.

As a dad for the last 12+ years, I have to admit I've long viewed my Father's Day as a sort of "service-time recognition" (close-to-but-not-the-same) equivalent to the Mother's Day counterpart. I daresay many of us dad's acknowledge (with appreciation and...relief?) the more significant role our spouse's play in the parenting arena, and humbly accept the nod for the supporting roles we play in raising our kids. That's not to diminish the primary role many fathers perform—and the incredible job they do—and recognition they deserve. It's simply a reality that, more often than not, dad's play the second fiddle, supporting role...sous chef, assistant teacher, vice president...you get the idea.

I look at my Father's Day as a day of reflection and thoughtfulness about what I need to be consistently doing on the other 364 days of the year so I'm always a good father to my kid. I think that is truly the hardest part—especially with the "ebbs and flows" of our roles as our kids progress from infant to toddler, preschooler to kindergartner, tween to teen, young adult to...(gulp) adult. What dad hasn't experienced on any given day how we're either an out-of-touch, embarrassing, dorky Dad (picture child with eyes rolling up into their eyelids)—or the smartest, coolest, bravest hero Dad our kid has ever known (and the hugs that come with it)?

Which is why, for me again this year, I'll love getting another "nod" for being a dad—but in my mind it will be for all I've learned this past year that's made me a good dad. A better dad. It's a reminder to myself of how dedicated I am to being the best I can be in my—albeit supporting—role as father to my daughter. It's a tremendous learning curve—and in all respects—the hardest (and most rewarding) job I've ever had in my life.

To all the other dads out there, I hope you think about, and act on daily, how important your role is to your kids. Tell your kids in some way, every day—how important they are so they know how much you love them—no matter what—just for them being themselves.

Eventually, they'll forget about us being that out-of-touch, embarrassing, dorky Dad we can sometimes be. I hope.

Have a wonderful "Congrats-On-All-We've-Learned" Day.

Mothers' talk is key to kids' social skills.

Here at Maren Green, we love to keep our readers up to date on helpful information that relates to the children in our lives. This latest information reported on CNN here, isn't surprising, but is an important reminder:

In a UK study funded by the Economics and Social Research Council, research has shown that the way mothers talk to their children at a young age influences their social skills later in childhood. Specifically, those who often talked to their children about people's feelings, beliefs, wants and intentions developed better social understanding than children whose mothers did not.

The article goes on to quote Dawn Huebner, a psychologist in Exeter, New Hampshire, who sees children ages 6 to 12:

"It's essential for both mothers and fathers to give children a vocabulary of feelings...children don't always realize what their emotions are and need to have words to describe them in order to become more empathetic."

Further support as to why our children's books on feelings are best-selling resources to help parents have conversations with their children. For birth to preschool, this sturdy little board book is a perfect introduction to the basic feelings of happy, yucky, shy, excited, mad, scared, kind, and more.

For ages 4 and up, the paperback version covers a full alphabet of age appropriate feelings such as brave, dramatic, generous, jealous, lonely, nervous, optimistic, proud, responsible, understood, valued, and more. Fun to read and beautifully illustrated, your kids will be able to name, claim, and share their emotions in no time.

Thanks for all you're doing to raise such capable, kind, and resilient children. We know it's not easy, which is why we're here to support you.