The outfield can be a place for kids to learn about baseball, but it is inevitably a place where kids wind up learning about themselves. Eager to understand these lessons, Fatherly asked 18 former Little-League outfielders what went through their heads when they were relegated to right field. Their answers were Indicatively diverse. The common theme? Failed acts of introspection. “I associated a baseball falling from the sky to a heat-sensing missile until the latter half of high school, so the outfield filled me with despair during my Little League era....

This strange form of self-motivation began when Air New Zealand released a video inviting Martin to finish the book in New Zealand. Martin respectfully declined the offer, saying the beautiful country would “distract” him. Martin followed up by saying that he will be coming to the country in 2020 to serve as Toastmaster for Worldcon’s Hugo Awards, which usually takes place in August, and that if he’s not done with the book by then, he would voluntarily be imprisoned in a small cabin until he finished his book....

The upshot? Solid family structure and money—the two factors that influence almost every aspect of child development—do not seem to impact the number of gifted children in a state. So what does? Roughly 3.2 million children are currently enrolled in gifted and talented programs in U.S. public schools. Still, the question of what exactly constitutes “gifted” lacks a clear answer. Federal law acknowledges that children with unique gifts may need unique attention, but stops short of providing guidelines for identifying such children....

CouponFollow surveyed 1,085 people to get an idea of what parents are willing to do in order to make the holiday special for their kids – specifically focusing on gift purchasing. And the results show that nothing will stand in the way of parents trying to make the holiday special for their kids. To source the data, CouponFlow issued a survey through SurveyMonkey to over 1,000 people who live in the United States....

Yes, your beloved Thin Mints are not the same. That’s because Girl Scout cookies are actually made by two different bakeries, ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers (LBB), which have their own cookie recipes, cookie flavor names, and even cookie box design. Take a minute for this to sink in. So what does that mean for you? First, the Girl Scout cookie flavors you’ve grown up knowing and loving aren’t the only ones....

Grimes and Musk had an infant baby boy in May. But what is the name? The couple, who initially named their son X Æ A-12 Musk, a highly symbolic name, ran into trouble with California naming law. In the state of California, only letters from the 26 letters of the English alphabet, and no characters or numbers, can be on a birth certificate, posing a real problem for the couple, who had a handful of non-legal characters in their baby’s name....

First, the cooler: It’s a 56-quart, roto-molded Grizzly with a BearClaw™ latching system. It measures 34-inches by 18-inches and rocks nylon rope handles with rubber grips. It can hold as many as 72 cans of your favorite malted beverage. There’s also a two-inch plug and drain channel on the back. RELATED: The Best Coolers and Ice Chests For Hauling Beer, Burgers, and Plenty of Juice Boxes Second, the audio: Music lovers who care more about crisp tunes than crisp pilsners will delight in the ICE’s speaker setup....

Why are groceries more expensive? According to The Wall Street Journal, inflation has reached its fastest rising rate in nearly 40 years, and American families are feeling the squeeze. The average household spending in the U.S. rose an additional $250 a month because of these increases, and groceries, one of the most essential of essentials, are responsible for a good chunk of that. CNBC reports the quick rise in inflation can be blamed on pandemic-related demand issues....

In the Medium post announcing the plan, the justification for the plan is simple: Biden’s economic recovery plan is nothing without those who watch the children of American workers, and both the American worker, their kids, and child care providers all need to be supported by a system that works. “As a first step, Biden will immediately provide states, tribal and local governments with the financial relief they need to keep workers employed and keep vital public services running, including direct care and childcare services....

Mortgage rates aren’t quite at historic lows, but they’re the best we’ve seen since 2016. Add rising property values to the mix, and it’s a pretty great time to be a homeowner. According to mortgage giant Freddie Mac, the average 30-year, fixed-rate home loan slid to 3.75 percent last week. That’s more than a full percentage point from where it was sitting last fall. No wonder, then, that a lot of folks are brushing off their loan officer’s business card these days....

Why Have Home Prices Been So High? Experts partially blame low inventory for the record-breaking home prices we’ve seen over the last two years, and, unfortunately for aspiring buyers, that inventory is just getting lower. In February, there were only 870,000 homes for sale in the U.S., a 15.5% drop in inventory numbers from February 2021. And it’s not just that there are fewer homes on the market; it’s also that sellers are receiving offers in record time, resulting in bidding wars and sales prices considerably over the asking price....

According to Redfin, bidding wars are still intensifying, however, there’s some good news. They’re doing so at a slower pace than they were two years ago, at the start of the pandemic. In February 2022, Redfin records show it marked the highest levels of bidding wars, adjusted on a seasonal basis. The percentage of home offers on properties that faced bidding wars, according to Redfin records, was 68.6 percent. Compared to only 60....

“Fathers think they have to work out, play sports, and coach their children, in order for their kids to be fit and athletic. This is a prescription for injury,” Bergin told Fatherly. Alice Holland, a physical therapist, agrees. “Almost weekly I am evaluating someone who has a fatherly injury,” she says. Fatherhood can do a lot of damage, but it doesn’t have to. Here are the most common dad injuries, and some advice on how to make sure those little feet land clear of your testicles, every single time: Pulling Out Your Back Picking up a growing, frequently wiggling human repeatedly is just unnatural, and all that bending can make dads feel like they’re about to break....

READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to Keeping Kids Safe Online What are some short activities that can be regularly scheduled into family time; to help inject fun, create family memories, and “break out of our routine” a little, during the working week? Embrace technology and social media as a way to connect with your kids on an entirely different and very personal level while you are physically not with them....

The truth is that pretty much all of us suck at ending conversations. And according to a recent study, conversations rarely end when people want them to – thanks to a classic “coordination problem” most of us regularly face. In two studies of 932 conversations, researchers asked conversants to share when they wanted a conversation to end and to estimate when their partner –– an intimate in study one and a stranger in study two –– wanted it to end....

Good news! Very soon you’ll be involved with a new doctor who is way less concerned about your partner’s parts and way more concerned about all the parts of your new baby. And you should be looking for that person before your kid is born. But how do you go about finding this magical creature called a pediatrician? Does it involve unicorn blood and special incantations? A quick survey of the bitchiest Yelp reviews?...

“I’m leaving,” I told my husband, who was also teaching that night’s class. I was frustrated beyond repair at being unable to partake after having been so ready to train after an eight-month pregnancy-and-postpartum absence. My husband tried to convince me to stay, offering to wear our infant and walk her around while verbally directing students, so I could still take class. I felt more strongly that he should continue for the other students’ benefit, so I walked the mile and a half back home instead, baby strapped on, pushing our sleeping preschooler in her stroller....

But, even those on board with open relationships can have a hard time figuring out how to execute them. How, exactly, do you approach the conversation? What are the best ground rules to lay down for couples who want to try a new arrangement? What are some missteps to avoid? To help answer questions, we spoke to a variety of experts as well as those with first-hand open relationship experience to provide some advice for anyone considering the arrangement....

READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to Sex After Kids Make Eye Contact “Women typically like to feel connected to their partners,” says Britton. “One way to connect to a partner is through eye contact.” Because missionary position puts you face to face with your partner, it’s well suited to support eye contact. According to Britton, the idea of locking eyes during sex has been around for a very long time....

Transferring your balances to a new card will likely put a dent in your credit score – at least in the short run – although that might be a price worth paying if you can save a boatload of interest. Like most big financial decisions, it depends on the particulars of your situation. Given how egregious most credit cards rates are, as well as the size of your total debt, I’d give a promotional offer some serious thought....