Dr. Mary B. Seger is a nurse practitioner, mom, grandmother, and teacher in Michigan. She has recently released the book The Parent Guidebook, an "owner’s manual" on raising children from infancy to adulthood based on her experience as a mother and a nurse practitioner.

Here’s a sample of what can be found in the guidebook: Dr. Seger’s tips for new dads.

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Nothing I’ve ever done has given me more joys and rewards than being a father to my children. - Bill Cosby

Trying to understand your wife, who has now become a mother, can be extremely frustrating at times. Being moved down on your wife’s list of importance can be devastating. Let me give you some tips on how to move into this new life of parenthood.

1. Tell her she is a good mom and doing a great job. Most women are terrified of doing the wrong thing as a parent. We all want to be good moms and secretly fear being bad moms. When you point out what a good job she did in a particular instance, it will touch her heart in ways you cannot imagine. It will help increase her confidence in doing what she is doing and help her believe someone has her back in the crazy world of parenthood.
2. Find food. You need to eat, preferably healthy food. She is exhausted from lack of sleep, hormonal swings, and at times, fears doing the wrong thing with this precious baby. Bringing home food, cooking it, serving it, and cleaning up afterwards will cause her heart to fill with love for you. Don’t ask her where she wants it from or what she wants. Figure it out and go get food.
3. Change diapers, empty the dishwasher, and clean the toilet without being asked.
4. Text her. I love you. Everything is going to be fine, we can do this. You’re a great mom! How can I help? “How can I help” is a great text because you are giving her time to think about it.
5. Watch the baby while mom goes to the grocery store. Tell her to take her time, that you’ll be fine. She may even stop at the bookstore or TJ Maxx on the way home. This is when you get to bond with your baby. Many times when the mom is present, complete bonding with dad does not take place. You need the one-on-one to get the greatest effect.
6. Encourage your wife to seek the company of other moms, with or without the baby. She may need time to go out with her girlfriends to just be. A mom’s group can be helpful, as well as both of you spending time with other couples. This helps by getting her to spend time around more moms. You can make this happen by offering to take the baby or setting up couples’ night out.
7. Offer love, protection and support with no agenda. There is a statue I see periodically, that warms my heart: It is Joseph, holding Mary, who is holding baby Jesus. It provides a beautiful picture of love, protection and support. It is what women crave; a time to let her guard down, breathe, and know someone she trusts has her back. At the end of the day, many women are on empty, with nothing left to give. When you approach her to give her a hug with an agenda for evening activity, she may close down and push you away. Try giving her a hug, let her melt into you and rest. That is all. In time, as you do this, good things will come.
8. Date night. This is imperative for maintaining your marriage. Remember when you were dating and courting her? You need to do this again. It is not unusual for a couple with children to put their marriage on the back burner. Years later, as the kids grow up, you begin to wonder who is this person sleeping in my bed?
9. Parenting as a team is essential. As you spend time together, you and your wife will develop a team approach, which is imperative to raising children. Two components of teamwork include defining the goal – what values do you want to impart to your children? – and getting things done in less time. Life is much better in a loving, supportive, respectful relationship. As the years pass by, in time, you will be sitting on the porch, watching your grandchildren. As your children become frustrated with something their child does, you will laugh and say, you used to do that. Life is good.
10. Stop and give thanks, every day, for the miracle that has come into your life.

Photo used with permission of Flickr Creative Commons. Click on photo for source.

 Trends & Truth Online is a monthly column by Mike Nappa.

Axel Alonso began his career as a journalist and magazine writer before joining the comics industry in 1994. Since 2000, he’s shaped the stories of classic heroes like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and many more. Today, Axel is Editor in Chief at Marvel Comics.

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T&TO: In your own words, what is Marvel Comics? 

AA: Marvel tells stories about human perseverance―about super-powered individuals who rise to impossible challenges. Our readers aren’t rooting for the powers or the costume – they’re rooting for the person inside the tights. With Spider-Man, they’re rooting for the kid from Queens who, when he’s not saving the world, has to scrape to make rent; with Captain America, they’re rooting for the 98-pound weakling who, through the miracle of science, was granted muscles that finally match the size of his heart.

T&TO: Marvel superheroes and stories wield a significant influence on American culture. How does Marvel Comics handle that?

AA: With over 70 years of stories in the bank and counting, Marvel Comics is modern mythology―and we’re well aware of the responsibility that comes with it. We take such great pains to portray our characters as the heroes they should be. Our protagonists are models for life: people who rise above their personal baggage and insecurities to face great challenges and do great things.

T&TO: Marvel Comics are loved by all ages, but we still associate superhero stories with children. Why do kids need superheroes?

AA: Kids need heroes. While parents should be role models for life, superheroes remind a child of the moral compass necessary to navigate a universe fraught with thrills and danger.

T&TO: Why is Marvel interested in reaching kids today, when more adult-oriented products seem to make more money?

AA: I discovered comic books as a young boy. They taught me to read and helped shape my moral code―they are a part of my DNA. As Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics, I understand the importance of cultivating young readers that will have a similar experience; as the father of an 8-year-old boy who’s a big fan of Spider-Man and Deadpool, I’m thrilled to see my son have a similar experience.

T&TO: Some parents worry that Marvel Comics are too violent, political, sexualized, and so on. What would you like to say to those parents?

AA: Not all comics are intended for kids, which is why we label our comics for their intended audience. That said, most of our content is PG-rated material aimed at a multiplex audience.

T&TO: What would you say is most important in life, and how is that reflected in your work?

AA: Love―finding it, earning it, giving it, sacrificing for it. It’s why superheroes throw themselves headlong at impossible threats. Because their hearts overflow with it.

Have a pop culture question for Trends & Truths? Email it to parentlife@lifeway.com!

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Mike Nappa is a bestselling author, a noted commentator on pop culture, and founder of the website for parents, FamilyFans.com. 

Carey Casey writes our regular "Dad’s Life" column in ParentLife. Today, he’s sharing a little extra about building a strong foundation in your home and your faith.

Have you ever seen a skyscraper go up? It’s amazing to watch it reaching for the clouds, but I’m talking about what’s going on below ground — the foundation.

I happened to be at a building site when a skyscraper was just getting started. And I heard that you can tell how high the building is going to be by how deep they lay the foundation.

I believe that’s a useful illustration for fathers, because you have to go deep with your child. You are part of your child’s foundation. How high he goes in life depends partly on the stability and support that you provide, and it has to go deep.

That means your commitment to be a good father runs deep in your life, and it means you are willing to address tough issues with your child. You are not just sitting on the sidelines and letting Mom handle difficult situations by herself. And you aren’t assuming your child will get information he needs on his own, or that you always can trust him to stay out of trouble.

No, going deeper means having involved discussions about issues of faith or sex or drugs. It means staying aware of what they’re into and talking to your child about any danger signs you see. It means taking a stand and sometimes laying down consequences.

This also applies to fathers personally. If you want to go high in your achievements, making a difference for God’s Kingdom, then you have to lay a solid foundation. The old hymn says the church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord, and that’s also true for fathers.

You have to go deep with Christ; He has to be the cornerstone for everything you do. You can’t let your toys, gadgets, egos, or other worldly distractions overshadow or extinguish that spark that God has given you as a father.

If you go deep with Him and that foundation is in place, then you will have the discernment, patience, and poise necessary to love, coach, and model for your child. Going deep allows you to reach new heights as a championship father.

Dad’s Life Columnist Carey Casey is Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas City-based National Center for Fathering and author of the book Championship Fathering: How to Win at Being a Dad (2009). 

Through his work across the country, Casey has earned a reputation as a dynamic communicator, especially on the topic of men being good fathers. He’s known as a compassionate ambassador, particularly within the American sports community.

Photo used with permission of Flickr Creative Commons. Click on photo for source. 

Carey Casey writes our regular "Dad’s Life" column in ParentLife. Today, he shares with us some extra notes on the importance of marriage.

In February, we get to celebrate the importance of marriage to our culture. Some personal experiences have solidified this for me.

My bride, Melanie, came from a broken home. Sometimes in the past I have thought about that and asked her, “Why are we still married after all these years? What has kept you interested and committed to staying married?” Because I can tell you — and she knows — I’m not all that great.

She told me that even though her mom and pop didn’t make it, she always had a vision for a strong marriage. She did say she was angry with her dad, but in the next breath she said she never gave up hoping he would come home.

I have some neighbors whom I’ve come to know pretty well. One day several years back, I heard that the husband was about to leave the wife. I had joined the National Center for Fathering not that long before this, and God was giving me new insights about fatherhood. When daddies aren’t there, something big is missing for kids and families. All those facts were stirring in my mind when I heard about our neighbor. I knew what was at stake not just for his family, but other families on our street.

So that’s why I was bold; I took a chance and approached him to talk about what he was about to do. I told him to think hard about it, and to imagine the long-term consequences that will come because of his decision. His family would be forever changed. Our block wouldn’t be the same. I even told him that my son Chance would be asking, “Where is he?” and that we would have to tell him.

Well, he did leave his wife, but it wasn’t for long. He soon came back, and their relationship has healed.

That’s the far-reaching power of marriage in our families, our neighborhoods, and our culture. Maybe my own parents built that into me, because I can remember having talks with my brother when we were teenagers. He would say, “Carey, when we’re married one day, no matter what might happen, we’ll work through it.” And I agreed. We said, “We’ll stick with it because we’re Christians, and we’re men.”

Things don’t always work out in marriages, and maybe I’m idealistic about it, but I’m not going to apologize for that. God made marriage, and with His help we can make our own marriages strong and create a better image of marriage for the world around us. We must do this by all means. We have to help change culture, and marriage is the recipe to get this done.

Dad’s Life Columnist Carey Casey is Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas City-based National Center for Fathering and author of the book Championship Fathering: How to Win at Being a Dad (2009). 

Through his work across the country, Casey has earned a reputation as a dynamic communicator, especially on the topic of men being good fathers. He’s known as a compassionate ambassador, particularly within the American sports community.

What is your experience with divorce or separation, and how has that formed you?

Photo used with permission of Flickr Creative Commons. Click on photo for source.