When my wife and I first found out that we were going to have a kid, we instantly became aware of the “parenting class” industry that had existed in our community for years without ever attracting our attention. Suddenly, there were all of these flyers, newspapers ads, and emails, offering us practical parenting instruction in friendly classroom settings.

And, as new parents-to-be, we were game for them. Almost immediately, we signed up for the childbirth class, the baby care and CPR class, the “how to install a car seat” class, the breastfeeding class, you name it.

(The only classes I remember us opting out of were the “baby massage” class and the “parenting for dads” class, which I found more than a little insulting.)

Jolly Ol’ England’s Liverpool Children’s Centre just launched a new hairdressing course, but it’s not for young aspiring salon artists – it’s for fathers who want to learn how to do their kids’ hair.

Chris Cavanagh came up with the class, which started February 2, at both the Clubmoor and the Ellergreen Children’s Centres. Cavanagh has a friend whose wife passed away, and soon after, the friend needed to take his daughters to a neighbor’s house to get their hair styled.

(EDIT: We were asked over e-mail and below in comments to remove our header image due to, you know, legal stuff. The request came from Strong Fathers Strong Families, the originator of many “Bring Your Dad to School” programs that have been running for over 10 years now. We complied.)

If you’re a father living in New York, you’re urged to take your child to school or Head Start on September 20th. A program called “Dads Take Your Child To School” has taken root and is growing every year.

The program is a collaboration between [breath] the Administration for Children and Families, Region II, New York State’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and Office of Children and Family Services, the Stronger Families New York Coalition, other statewide partners, and New York City agencies including the Departments of Youth and Community Development, Education, the Mayor’s Office, and the Administration for Children’s Services.

A majority of men make school lunches regularly for their children. Moreso than moms, says a recent online poll.

The Back-to-School themed shopping study, by Harris Interactive, was commissioned by Coupons.com. From July 20-24, they polled 2,208 adults living in the U.S. – including both moms and dads.

What happens when you take the too-cool parents from one of New York City’s most desirable neighborhoods, an internet trend that peaked last year(ish), and a song about banging chicks?

The parents of P.S. 10 – an elementary school in Park Slope, New York - organized an end-of-the-school-year flash mob with semi-viral results earlier this month. And naturally, you can’t swing a dead cat these days without hitting the Black Eyed Peas and LMFAO, so be ready for that. And be ready for the official 8BitDad Stick in the Mud®.

This story is yet another painful reminder of a friend from high school who was “happy”. She lived with her mother in a townhome. Her mother came back from holiday to find her hanging by a rope from the second story banister.

I went to her funeral 10 years ago and I thought about how anyone could have prevented it from happening. Medication? Therapy? Locking her up? Even then, if you force a person to talk about their problems, how do you know they’re telling the truth?

It’s difficult to control free will.

This week’s Podcast Question of the Week is about bullying:

What Would You Do If You Suspected Your Child’s Teacher Was a Bully?

We posted Stuart Chaifetz’s story about his autistic son Akian, who was being bullied by his teacher and aides. Poking around comments on Facebook, Chaifetz’s Change.org petition and on Reddit, bullying like this happens more than we know. What do you do if you suspect your child is being bullied by their teacher?

Do you put a wire on your child like Chaifetz did? Do you attempt to solve the issue with the school? Do you confront the teacher with whatever evidence you found?

We want to know! Leave your answer in the comments here and we’ll read some of your answers on our podcast! Be sure to watch on Tuesday, 5/1.

A father in New Jersey was notified by his school that his autistic 10 year old son Akian was violent in his classes. Stuart Chaifetz had never known his son to be violent, so he wanted to know what was happening. He had a meeting with the IEP team. A behaviorist was called in to do a report. Nothing came up that would explain Akian’s outbursts – even when provoked by the behaviorist.

Chaifetz suspected the worst – that his son was being bullied by his teacher. So, he put a wire on him and recorded six hours of audio. It changed Chaifetz’s life.

“What I heard on that audio was so disgusting, vile, and just an absolute disrespect and bullying of my son,” says Chaifetz in a video he posted on his website, “…that happened not by other children, but by his teacher and the aides, the people who are supposed to protect him.”