With these economic challenges here are some creative ways to travel. The cruise lines, tour companies and resorts are stepping up to the plate with special deals and packages. Nationwide spring travel booking figures show most of the leading destinations this year are not linked to the euro. In addition, there are still countries and destinations where the U.S. dollar is strong. From the Caribbean and South America to Asia and simply staying in the U.S., there’s still hope for an affordable vacation. The top spots include Alaska, Orlando, Cancun, Honolulu, Dominican Republic and Argentina.

The cruise industry has been reaping good business from vacationers now attracted by the value of “drive time” vacations. The cruise industry projects 12.8 million people will take a cruise this year, up 200,000 from last year.

Do you remember as a child getting up in the wee hours of the morning to be piled into the family car to drive to a vacation destination? There is a surge in these “drive time” vacations again. As mentioned before, Georgia and the surrounding states have beaches, mountains, state parks and lakes to explore. From a cruising perspective, the Atlanta area is an easy drive to such ports as Mobile, Jacksonville, Tampa, Charleston, and Port Canaveral.

Here are some key things again to remember when planning your trip:

• Travel off-season. Every destination has a season that is considered a “value season”. This means lower prices and less crowds. January and September are great months to find great travel rates.

• Go where the dollar is strong. Visit or cruise to such areas as the South America, Barbados, Jamaica, or Switzerland. Passports are required for international air travel.

• Make it a surprise! This is the perfect time to plan next year’s trip and stay within budget. Also, you can present a gift certificate at the holidays and have the family help plan the actual trip.

• Book a travel package. Very often you can save money by booking package deals that include the airfare, hotel, meals, car rental etc.

• Use promotional “City Cards” to save on attractions. Cities around the world offer City Cards/Passes to tourists that promise savings through discounts on top tourist attractions and public transportation. This is especially true for Orlando.

• Be creative with the planned activities. Plan a picnic lunch, hike along a bubbling stream, fly kites on a windy day, or skip rocks across the mountain lake.

• Travel with extended family or with groups of friends. Split the car rental bill or carpool, split the room costs and take a half price vacation. Or rent a house together on the beach during off season.

• Seek the advice and services of a seasoned travel agent. Unlike a mega online travel seller, these experts not only provide invaluable and personalized service but can often times get unadvertised deals. It is nice to be able to talk to the same person when you have a question.

So plan ahead, seek advice and travel! Don’t let the economy or bad media take the place of truly enjoying time together with your family. Whether it is long weekend at the lake or a cruise to Caribbean, relax and enjoy the escape from reality. It is amazing what being away from the cell phone, television, email, and work can do to regenerate the soul!

With over 16 years of travel experience, Jenny Reed plans cruises and land vacations worldwide. Her agency does not charge a service fee. She can be reached at 678-947-5115, via email at jenny@OurCruisePlanner.com or via her website at www.OurCruisePlanner.com.

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I really like media. But, I also really hate all the garbage that’s so often mixed in with it. I think this is probably something that a lot of people struggle with - wanting to enjoy watching, listening and playing - but not wanting to expose ourselves or our families to, well, crap.  Mike and I have some pretty solid ideas about how we handle this conundrum, so I thought I’d just share how we do things and some resources we use that might be of use to some of you out there in the blogosphere.

Movies at Home
Movies are definitely my favorite kind of media. Sometimes, all I want to do is just veg on the couch and pop in a movie. But I don’t want to hear any swearing, or see any sex, nudity, or too much violence. So that eliminates almost any non G-rated movie. Our solution? “ClearPlay,” one of our very favorite inventions. ClearPlay is a company that makes a DVD player that edits out all the crap, without editing the actual movie (hence it doesn’t infringe on copyright laws and is perfectly legal). The company doesn’t edit movies, they simply produce the filters that you use with the movies you buy or rent. We have our ClearPlay DVD player, and a “Filter Stick” (which is just a USB drive). All we have to do is periodically download the latest filters from the ClearPlay website, and we can watch practically any movie we want. Not only does it mute out swears, but it actually cuts out entire scenes that are inappropriate - and we can set the filtering to the level we want. So I can watch all my chick flicks that I love - but I don’t have to watch the sex scenes. We can watch a cool action movie with substantially less violence, etc. The DVD player was $60, and you do have to subscribe to be able to download the latest filters, but it’s only a few bucks a month. We got our player at Macey’s grocery store, but you can also check out their website: Clearplay.com.

At the Movies
Of course there’s no fix like that in the movie theater, and how do you know before you go to see a movie if there’s stuff you won’t like in it? Another great website - ScreenIt.com - is a great tool we use. You can look up any movie on ScreenIt and it will tell you exactly how much and what kind of profanity, violence, sex, scary scenes, etc. are in it, including movies that were just released in theaters. Before Mike and I will go see any movie (except G-rated ones), we check the website and see what it has in it. I think it’s easy to become desensitized to what’s in movies, but because of ClearPlay, Mike and I are actually SUPER sensitive to all the crap, since we never see/hear it. Because of that, if a movie has ANY profanity/sex, etc, in it, we we usually just wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it with ClearPlay. That usually means that we don’t see any PG-13 (and even some PG) movies in the theater, but we’ve learned patience, and usually don’t mind waiting.
*Note: if you go to the screenit.com website, it will look like you have to pay for the service. You don’t. Just scroll down to the very bottom and you’ll see a little “No Thanks” button - and you’ll go on to the website. You can pay a monthly fee - but that’s only to have access to info on brand new movies as soon as they come out. However, it usually only takes a week or so before the ‘new’ movies are available to non-paying visitors.

TV
We used to have a cool thing called TV Guardian that muted out profanity on tv shows as well as movies, but for some technical reason that Mike would be able to tell you, it doesn’t work with our current setup. So for TV shows that have stuff we don’t like in them, we usually do the same thing we do with movies - wait until they come out on DVD. Here again, ClearPlay is our best friend. They also do TV series! This waiting takes A LOT more patience though, since we have to wait for the series to end, THEN for it to come out on DVD. *sigh* For instance, we love “The Office,” but we only just barely saw the third season, since it just came out on DVD. We do still watch TV, but we mostly just watch ESPN (Mike), HGTV (Mary), Discovery and The History Channel. We also are occasionally American Idol junkies. If anyone can figure out a way to buy cable a la carte, as in just buying the channels you want, sign me up! We have a million channels we never watch and it feels like such a waste!

Internet
The internet has it’s own special kind of crap - called pornography - that is especially vile. Neither Mike nor I want pornography to be available in our home - regardless of whether or not we would actually look at it. We don’t even want the possibility. Our friend here is a program/website called K9 Web Protection. K9 is a free program that you can download that will protect your family from the majority of bad internet stuff. One person in the household (usually the wife/mother) has the password (yes, Mike doesn’t know our K9 password) and holds the power. With it I can block any website I want, any keywords I want, and make it so the internet can’t be accessed past a certain time without the password. That means that if I tried to look up anything with the word ’sex’ (or a plethora of other words) in the search phrase or website address, a K9 screen will pop up (complete with barking sound) and tell me I can’t proceed. I can also see all the websites that have been visited (and they can’t be deleted by deleting history or anything else). I think this will be extra useful when we have older kids, but it also gives me a sense of security now. It’s so easy to think “That can’t happen to us” or “My husband would never do that.” Don’t give temptation the chance. That’s my theory anyway.

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It’s at this very point, when mention of Christmas shopping starts, that husbands everywhere start to feel a little bit of panic. Don’t worry, you’ve still got 57 days until Christmas morning. Plenty of time to prepare. To spur your thinking and get your creative juices flowing, here are some ideas for some of the most popular ideas for gifts:

Jewelry. While women like shiny things, you don’t have to go really expensive. If you’re like most men, you’re hoping to find something that won’t break the bank. Next month we will showcase some of the best inexpensive handmade jewelry that your wife could ever hope to receive. She’ll be over the moon with gratitude.

Services. Spa treatments, massages, facials, self-spa kits, acupuncture, or get a maid to clean the house…for a month! It’s the gift that keeps on giving, as each time she gets a little special treatment she thinks of you.

Experiences. Glass blowing classes, a museum membership, season tickets to the theatre, pottery classes - any of these things will be a big hit with the one you love!

Things. Don’t just give a thing. Put some thought into your wife. What does she keep wishing she had? For example, my wife keeps wishing that she had a Kitchen Aid Mixer. She hasn’t gotten one yet because they’re $400, but it’s something that would mean a lot to her.

Time. The thing that makes vacations special for your wife and kids is not so much what you do, but the time you get to spend together as a family. Most of us can look back and remember some time spent with family that wasn’t doing any special thing, but that still carries a lot of positive emotional impact. Take your family on a trip for Christmas, or just give them the gift of you being there for them. Don’t forget that grandparents want to see your kids as well, and you can make Christmas extra special just by having all three generations together.

Look for upcoming guides to each of these categories - how to provide each of these things at Holiday time.

What about you? What gifts have you given your wife or kids that was really special? Ladies, what gifts have you received that have been really special?

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We appreciate you referring friends and family men to Husbands & Dads!  Make sure to get your easy entry by joining out Forums!

Here are the details of entry:

Husbands & Dads has teamed up with some exciting partners in order to create our first ever contest geared towards rewarding you for referring your friends to the site. The contest will have 2 parts - one will reward the Top Referring blog/personal site and the other will reward registered members of the Forums.

Husbands & Dads Refer A Friend Contest

Top Referrer

Grand Prize - $100 gift card to use at the online family bookstore Abunga.com

Second Prize - $25 gift card to the “smart” savings company SmartyPig

Third Prize - Variety pack of Man Cards from Thoughtful Gent, Inc.

Register for Forums Winner

Grand Prize - Schick Quattro Titanium Trimmer

Second Prize - $10 Joe’s Crab Shack gift card

Rules:

Top Referrer - the top referring blog or personal website from Monday, October 6, 2008, through Friday, October 31, 2008, will win the Grand Prize. The second highest referrer will win the Second Prize. Referrals will be measured in unique visits to HusbandsandDads.com. You may want to write a blog post recommending the site to your readers, include a link in your blogroll or come up with a unique way to refer people. You may also want to grab one of our badges from below and use them as well!

Register for Forums - we will select 2 random members who are registered for the Husbands & Dads Forums. You must be an active member, which means that you need to have at least one post/reply during the month. Pretty easy, huh!?! Register for the Forums now to enter.

Here are a few Husbands & Dads badges for you to grab and use on your site to get referrals:

Thanks again to everyone for helping make the launch of Husbands & Dads such a great success! We also hope that you will refer the site to a friend and encourage him to subscribe and register for the Forums! Good luck to everyone!

Make sure to visit Abunga.com for your favorite family books!

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One such person is Dana Glazer, Director of the documentary film project The Evolution of Dad. Dana is making a film about the changing role of fathers in American society. I had a chance to talk with Dana about the film, where it’s currently at in production and what he’s gleaned from the project thus far.

How did The Evolution of Dad film originate?

I was seeking a documentary subject to focus on and an old NYU classmate suggested I make a film about At-Home Dads. However, after doing some research, it dawned on me that there has never been a documentary that explores the larger role of fatherhood and that the film should be more inclusive of all types of dads.

How far along in the project are you?

I’m still shooting and will continue to be shooting for some time. There’s a lot to cover.

What are your objectives in creating the film?

To inspire dads to get more involved with their kids. To educate people about how de-emphasized the role of fatherhood is in our culture.

How many interviews have you done? Which ones surprised you the most?

I’ve done several dozen already. What is always a great surprise is when listening to a subject I become completely immersed in what they are saying to the extent that I lose any sense of time. This has happened a few times and is always a great joy. It’s also a thrill when dads are willing to open up on a very deep, emotional level - something I know will be very cathartic for viewers watching when the film is done. An example is Ralph Benitez, a Bronx dad I’m currently following. To see what I mean, you can check out a clip here.

How has making the film impacted you as a Dad?

Well, first off it makes me appreciate being a dad more. It inspires me to try and be a better dad and live up to some of the subjects I’m covering. It’s also a challenge sometimes of trying to balance taking care of the kids and making the film.

Based on your experience, are dads “evolving”? How are things different now compared to 20 or 30 years ago?

Yes, there’s definitely some ‘evolution’ going on, but, honestly, I think too many dads of today are still a throwback to that 50’s idea of what a dad should be and don’t step out of the box when it comes to rethinking family/work balance. I believe thirty years from now they’re going to be looking at us present dads like we were cavemen.

What do you want people to learn from this film?

To question their situations when it comes to work/family balance and strive to find more creative ways of creating a balance. I hope it changes mindsets about how possible (or impossible) these things are.

How have you been able to finance the project?

Honestly, it’s been a struggle. I have some seed money from a generous friend, but it’s been a challenge to raise funds. Sometimes I think that the subject of fatherhood is so de-emphasized that people just fail to see how important it is and how much the world would truly change if more dads were genuinely involved in their kid’s lives.

When and how will the film be released?

TBD. Stay tuned.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Just that I really appreciate your support of my project, Jeremy, and all that you are doing to get the word out there about how important being a dad truly is. Keep it up!

Here’s the trailer for the documentary:

Dana Glazer is an award winning filmmaker and father of two young boys. He is currently making the documentary about the changing role of fatherhood, titled The Evolution of Dad. For more information please visit The Evolution of Dad.

If you would like to help support the film by making a donation, please click here.

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For many men, gaming is a pass time, a hobby.  It’s a diverting way to spend a few hours, calm down, and have some fun, either alone or with friends.  For some people, it’s a major part of their life.  For others however, the amount of time spent gaming becomes a major issue.

Sometimes There Is A Bigger Problem

For other men, however, video games are a serious problem. There are three reported cases of men dying because they played video games for three days or more without sleeping, eating, or drinking. It should be pointed out that all of these deaths were gamers addicted not to XBOX or other consoles, but to Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPG’s) like World of Warcraft or Everquest.

There was a medical conference on the issue in 2007. Video game addiction has not yet become an official diagnosis like alcohol or pornography addiction, but it has not been ruled out either.

How to Tell If You or Your Spouse Is Addicted

If you have four or five of the following problems, you might need to seek professional help with your gaming habits (the bold words are clinical terms for addiction behavior):

1. Persistent thoughts of the activity or performance of the activity. (Preoccupation)
2. Need for increased time spent on the activity to achieve satisfaction or diminished reward for the same amount of time spent on the activity. (Tolerance)
3. Inability to control, stop or diminish the behavior. (Loss of control)
4. Restlessness or irritability when prevented from partaking in the activity. (Withdrawal)
5. Lying to friends or family about extent of involvement with activity. (Continuance despite adverse consequences)
6. Committing illegal acts to sustain activity. (Continuance despite adverse consequences)
7. Relying on others to finance activity. (Continuance despite adverse consequences)

What to Do About It

There is just one official treatment center for video game addiction in the USA, and a facility has been opened in Amsterdam. China has one too.

Most scientists agree that video games do not physically cause addiction like drugs or alcohol. Games are instead the means of avoiding some sort of other problem. My recommendation is that if you feel that you are having a problem with gaming then talk to someone about it. Talk to your spouse, a friend, your mother, or a therapist. Find out what it is that you are trying to avoid. Face your problem.

Remember, for most people, video gaming is simply a serious hobby like boating, stamp collecting, or others. If your gaming is causing a problem with your life however, then you need to face up to and do something.

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The Top 10 Most Underrated TV Dads

10. Dick Solomon - 3rd Rock From the Sun: The High Commander of the Solomon alien family works as a physics professor by day and expedition leader by night. Solomon is not the best father figure in the universe, in fact his selfish and arrogant antics often make him look downright foolish (how many dads do you know who save toenail clippings to avoid being cloned?), but in the end, he always stumbles upon a key life lesson for the family/crew to learn from and add to their experience on Earth. Quotable: “This is just perfect. I try to mold us into a family that will blend in, and what do I get? A surly teenager, a sister obsessed with a man, and a brother who drinks too much. Is there another family in the whole world like this? I don’t think so!”

9.  Hayden Fox - Coach: Hayden Fox is the typical, work-obsessed football coach of the Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles.  The only major distraction from his team was the relationship he had with his teenage daughter Kelly - his perfect “little girl” who he did not want to grow up.  When she up and married a theater mime, Fox was the perennial spoiler dad.  Eventually, he learns to let go and stop trying to protect Kelly from life and theater. He develops a love interest of his own, who could care less about his football or sports. Many divorced dads can relate to his experiences on the show, both with his daughter and dating.

8. Worf - Star Trek: The Next Generation: a galactic career man on the rise, Worf was also a widower and single dad to son Alexander. Worf was the kind of dad that taught his son the virtues of a warrior, and he often had to teach him to value of integrity and honor in dealing with others.  It wasn’t easy being a good guy from a bad race, and it was always interesting seeing him overcome the pressures of being an outsider in a leadership role.  Worf was a military dad with a big heart who always set a good example for his son to follow.

7. Philip Banks - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: a Harvard educated attorney, Philip Banks was the atypical rags to riches dad who rose from farm boy to judge.  A towering figure, he blustered his way through fatherhood with not only his own kids, but also his nephew (Will Smith) from Philadelphia.  While he had a gruff and tough exterior, he was really a kind and generous man underneath and an excellent role model for young black men of the day. He was a board member for the NAACP, and hey, you gotta love a man who meets his wife on an episode of Soul Train.  The only thing bigger than his heart was the size of his stomach, which served as a the “butt” of many jokes on the show. Quotable: “A hard head makes for a soft behind.”

6. Gomez Addams - The Addams Family:Gomez was a dad with style.  Always dressed to the nines with his striped suit and necktie, and he was rarely seen without an expensive cigar in hand.  An expert swordsman, juggler and knife thrower, he taught his kids to react quickly and decisively to situations presented to them in life, albeit he lacked a concern for the dramatic.  Instead, he was an eternal optimist with a vibrant inner child.  He connected well with his kids on their level, and it was always fun to watch him interact with them and make all kinds of animal noises to get a laugh.  He was a lovable, goofy father and husband, and to top it all off, he was also a billionaire.  Quotable: “He wore that finger trap for two years. Mother had to teach him to eat with his feet.”

5. Dan Conner - Roseanne: Oh, big Dan Conner was a jolly old soul, a jolly old soul was he; he had a bossy wife Roseanne who whined and complained and four little kids on his knee.  Dan was a working class dad who has a hard time keeping a job, not for lack of trying though.  He is a good worker and role model for his kids, in a loud and twisted sort of way.  He is the dad who becomes the father figure to his daughters’ friends and boyfriends, and he is often seen helping his son DJ overcome the challenges of being a slightly odd kid who enjoyed beheading barbie dolls.  If there weren’t enough reasons to like him, his youngest child on the show was named Jerry Garcia Conner.  Dan was a great example of the every man’s dad in a working class town struggling to survive financially yet keeping a positive outlook on life no matter what.

4. Red Forman - That 70’s Show: As a former Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, Red is the kind of dad that never lacks for accountability.  Having said that, he is oblivious to the antics of his cheeba lovin’ son Eric and stoner friends Hyde and Kelso.  Still, Red manages to teach some of life’s most important lessons to the kids who always hang around his house, and he does it through a combination of shame, guilt and sarcasm.  Much of the humor of the show is centered around Red’s struggle with showing his true emotions and love for his wife and kids.  His traditional views of what it means to be a rough-and-tough man often conflicted with his real feelings of concern and pride for his children.  Red was much tougher on his son Eric because that is the way his father taught him to become a real man.  In Red’s house, similar to the military, there were rules and expectations for everything, and if they weren’t followed, you were bound to receive the acrimonious “dumbass” award.  Quotable: “Without rules, we all might as well be up in a tree flinging our crap at each other.”

3. Uncle Jesse Duke - Dukes of Hazard: Uncle Jesse wasn’t the biological father to Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke, but he was the man who cared for and guided them.  He took the kids in after their parents died in a car accident, and then he raised them on the family farm like they were his own youngins.  Jesse made a name for himself as a moonshine ridge runner back in the day, and unfortunately, Bo and Luke followed in his footsteps and got arrested.  Jesse went to bat for them and agreed to cease all shine operations in order to get them released.  Having learned many lessons in life the hard way, Jesse dispensed simple, sage-like wisdom to Bo, Luke and Daisy.  Quotable: “Guy come out of an antique shop carrying a big grandfather’s clock. Bumped into this drunk, broke the clock. Guy said, “Why don’t you watch where you’re going.” The drunk says, “Why don’t you carry a wristwatch like everybody else.’”

2. Herman Munster - The Munsters: Herman was a dad who really understood what it meant to be different.  Not only was he a creation of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, but also an adopted child to an exclusive British family.  Once he became a dad himself after fighting in WWII for the American Army, he settled into a fairly normal routine of being the sole bread winner and typical father of the day.  The difference was that he was over 7 feet tall and 380 pounds.  People often underestimated Herman, but he was smarter than he looked, especially when it came to sniffing out little tricks his son Eddie tried to pull.  By all accounts, Herman was your classic and typical working dad, only he was also a monster. Quotable: “You know, Eddie, I was so far ahead of the pack, the crowd had to run after me with torches to show me the finish line.”

1. Tim Taylor - Home Improvement: Tim “The Toolman” Taylor was an incredible tool-totin’, grunt-laughin’, fix anything kind of dad.  He was father to three boys and lived outside of Rock City (Detroit).  Tim had some unexpected help from a faceless neighbor Wilson when it came to understanding some of life and parenting’s toughest problems.  The problem is that he often misses a key point from Wilson and wrecks the advice/plan.  Tim’s own father died when he was just a boy, so that helps explain why he is so involved in his own boys’ lives.  He takes time to teach them new things in a “show-and-tell” manner, and if that doesn’t work, he will resort to more extreme measures (like blowing something up).  Quotable: “More Power!”

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share your list or suggestions for the most underrated TV dad and why.

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Take Care of The Kids. Every mother is going to worry about her kids while she is away from them.  Make sure that the kids are set up with a really great baby sitter.  For your information, a really great babysitter is someone who: 1) your wife knows and trusts, 2) the kids know and trust, 3) will make sure that your kids stick to the regular schedule while you are gone, with a little extra fun thrown in to take the edge off of you being out of town. If you’ll be gone for more than a couple of days, arrange for breaks for the sitter like a day with family or friends.

A few extra tips to make vacations easier on the kids: invite the sitter to stay at your house so the kids will be more comfortable, record a video of Mom and Dad for the kids to watch while you’re away, make a calendar for them to mark off the time you’re gone.

Also, a few tips to make the time away from the kids easier on you (the husband):  set a once a day rule for checking in with the kids, set a goal to let go of the guilt over being away, choose a vacation spot that isn’t full of kids, pack a photo, and bring back some cool gifts.

Make Sure the Vacation is Planned. If you’re like me, and the thought of planning a trip itinerary makes you start to panic a little bit, here’s an idea: plan a great beginning, a fun activity in the middle, and a relaxing ending to the vacation.  There’s a fine balance between planning too much and not planning enough.  If you hit that fine balance, then your wife will feel like you put some serious effort into planning the vacation and she will feel loved and special for the work that went into it.

You might start with arriving at the hotel early in the day, checking in, resting from the trip, and starting the evening off with a romantic walk in order to get familiar with the area, capped by a really great dinner.  The next day or a couple of days later have a really great activity planned like visiting an aquarium, scuba diving, seeing an active volcano, or something else really interesting and memorable.  Making this the middle of the vacation activity gives you opportunity to explore and get to know the area, and forestalls boredom from setting in when you don’t know what to do.  Finally, spending the last day of the vacation just walking or resting allows you to get rejuvenated so that you don’t come home needing a vacation from your vacation.

Do something different. Along the lines of making sure your trip is planned, make sure you try something different.  Try new foods.  Pick up snippets of a new language.  Participate in some activity that you would never have the opportunity to do at home.  It doesn’t have to be expensive either.  Doing something different builds a sense of anticipation, keeps you interested while you’re there, and gives you something to talk about when you go home.  Oh, by the way, thirty percent of women will choose an exotic destination versus just nineteen percent for men.

Sex.  While we men tend to equate romance with sex, women often do not.  While your wife may love to love you, chances are she’s just looking for some relaxation at the beginning of a vacation, then to make love later.  This is especially true if you have kids together.  While it is true that about 20 percent of vacationing couples rarely leave the bedroom, about 49 percent say they have sex a few times, and 14 percent say they are too exhausted to have sex at all.

In the end, your wife is the best source of information on planning a great trip.  If you know what she likes, then you should be okay.  If you’re not sure, then planning a vacation can be a great opportunity to find out a little bit more about her and what she enjoys doing in her leisure time.

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Jack Black does the voice of Po the Panda, and I always enjoy his humor. Dustin Hoffman fills in the voice of the Kung Fu Master, and Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan also portray characters. It’s always a good sign for a kids film when it attracts some of the top talent in Hollywood to do the voices, in my experience. Kung Fu Panda is no exception.

I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but I did want to offer up a positive recommendation. This movie had an important message to kids, and it came through in a fun and accepting way. The message was that you don’t need something “special” given to you to make you a better person. It was about recognizing your own inner (and perhaps hidden) strengths.

All of the Kung Fu, action and adventure were just a bonus. I definitely think this is a film Dads will enjoy taking the kids to watch. You’ll leave feeling better than you did when you arrived, and it could even inspire a conversation between you and the kids about self-image and self-esteem.

Here’s one of the trailers to give you a little glimpse at the story line:

Anyone else who’s seen it have an opinion? Did you like it? Hate it? What did you think?

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