Happy New Year. And welcome back.

Let me start with the latest advice column from Armin Brott, the smart, smart guy who nabbed the title "Mr. Dad" for himself (in addition to writing some rather good books).

It's always nice to see at-home dad concerns addressed, and the advice he gives can't do anything but help the Rebel Dads who are still "in the pantry" as Hogan Hilling likes to say. I can quibble a bit with the idea that dad playgroups are ideally dad-only (I know it fosters more openness, but given that most dads complain that mom groups aren't inclusive, I don't see how mimicking that approach is a good thing), but otherwise think it's dead-on.

And I can now officially claim to be disappointed in the utter lack of reaction to Paul Glastris' "Family Stress Relief Act", which suggested a bunch of policies designed to make life more bearable for families struggling to balance their lives. The American Prospect's blog weighs in with this mostly re-hash post (arguing that the Act would make for a good Democrat platform), but that's pretty much it for feedback. Here at Rebel Dad, I don't care what the politics are ... this seems like a no-brainers. We have ten presidential candidates -- I'd love to see any of 'em adopt the idea. Maybe then we'd get traction.