 I lost my job in mid-March and have been unemployed ever since. I left an employer of nearly four years at the end of 2022 to work for a technology startup at the start of 2023. Long story short, but things went south quickly, and the company was acquired, leaving most of the staff without jobs. My kids, with their childhood rationale, always had a lot of affinity for my former company. It’s not hard to see why from where they sat: huge brand presence, brick and mortar locations all across America and our family’s personal bank. Not to mention, I was generally happy, accomplished and proud to work there during my tenure, and I’m sure they sensed that. Conversely, given the way things turned out with the latter employer, they hate that company. Coincidentally, the company name is also a five-letter word that starts with C and is also a man’s name. We’ve explained the circumstances of my layoff, and they are quick to in turn explain the situation to friends and family when the conversation arises. This conversation always concludes with them adding, “C**** sucks.” We usually don’t condone this kind of language, but we’ve been letting it pass given the hardship. While unemployment is not ideal, I did go into it with the mindset that in addition to job seeking, I’ll be as involved as I can with my kids during this time. This spring saw a lot of activities return to the elementary school that otherwise wouldn’t have happened the last couple years due to the pandemic. I volunteered as much as possible and was present at the school to help and support however I could. It’s been rewarding, fun and unique, and I’m thankful for the opportunity. I think my kids have been thankful to have me around too. I even relived my youth and participated in the end-of-year neighborhood shaving cream fight!  I’m sure most kids have an interest in what their parents do for a living. The lens they see it through is where it likely gets comical. When my oldest daughter filled out a Father’s Day form in preschool years ago, she described my job as “keeping the kids safe.” Since that time, this phrase has stuck within our family. Any time I request they do something they don’t understand is for their own good, or if they ask me for my advice, this mantra will typically come up. Examples include:
I frequently validate my answers with a simple “what’s my job?” to which their reflex reaction is a “to keep the kids safe.” The last few months though, the joke they tell me when I ask this has been that I don’t have a job now. This has been stated out of love, as my children have become increasingly interested in the overall process of finding a new job, e.g., interviewing, offers, etc. While we certainly haven’t explained to them the financial implications of my unemployment, they’ve been invested and supportive to the extent they can understand. Careers are important, and I’ve always taken mine seriously. Losing a job is a tragedy that I don’t wish on anyone. These last three months have been really hard but also unique and positive in some ways. We as parents are our kids’ grandest advocates. Dads are the ultimate hype men. But it’s my kids who are my biggest, most unexpected cheerleaders right now, pulling for me to navigate out of this unfortunate situation. -Steve Michalovich, regular contributor, founded CBUS Dads in 2016 while on paternity leave with his middle child. He is an active parent and digital product manager by day.
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 Since it's start in 2016, CBUS Dads has intended to be a community of central Ohio area dads balancing an active lifestyle with being an involved parent. We may live downtown, in the suburbs or somewhere between, but our common thread is that we experience the community we love with our families.
We are going to start featuring some of the awesome dads we know to share their stories of parenting. There was no one more perfect to start with than The Dadass himself, Matt Lofy. By day, he is the executive director of the Worthington Area Chamber. Any other time if he's not parenting, he's focused on The Dadass Podcast. You can learn a little bit more about Matt below: What part of town do you live in? Westerville What is your favorite part about being a dad? I love being able to come home and feel like the most important person in the world when our son runs up and hugs me as if he hasn't seen me in a decade. What is your favorite activity to do with your kids that’s unique to Columbus? I love to go hiking in along many of Columbus' many Metro Park trails. Where is your favorite place to grab a bite to eat with your family? BrewDog New Albany - our son loves the huge pretzel. What are you most looking forward to in the future as a dad? I'm looking forward to each new phase of his life to see him learn and grow into his own. Sum up your life as a dad and the way you live it in six or less words. Who truly runs this shit show? Tell us a dad joke! What concert only costs 45 cents? 50 Cent featuring Nickleback. It’s June. That means summer vacations begin, festivals kickoff, Pride and Juneteenth are around the corner, and it seems like everyone is hosting everything during your weekends off. Then in the middle of it we have Father’s Day. We understand that Father’s Day is only one day out of this jam-packed month, but we’d miss an excellent opportunity not to celebrate it to the fullest. Here’s what’s in store:
Father’s Day Gift Box Giveaway Now thru June 11, The Dadass Podcast is partnering with Cameron Mitchell to giveaway one deluxe gift box. All you have to do is like the Instagram post about the giveaway and follow Cameron Mitchell on Instagram to be entered to win. Extra entry if you follow The Dadass Podcast as well. The box (valued at $74.99) includes:
This gift box and another one featuring the same items, along with a Manhattan cocktail kit (ingredients and instructions for two cocktails included), are available for purchase at either The Barn or The Avenue. Changing Station Pick Up – June 14 We’re at the final leg of our partnership with Columbus City Council for the Changing Table Accessibility Grant as part of our Dadvocate for Change campaign. 130 changing stations will be installed into small businesses throughout Columbus and in Parks & Rec. restrooms that do not have them. On this day from 1-6 p.m. the businesses will be picking up their changing stations. We'll also be recording a live episode during that time with businesses, councilmen and whoever stops by. Father’s Eve – June 17 Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 17 from 7-9 p.m. We will be hosting Father's Eve at Echo Spirits Distilling Co. At this event we will host a mini diaper drive, share our final numbers from our partnership with Columbus City Council and simply celebrate fathers, papas, uncles, and parents. Weekly Podcast Releases As always, we have special episodes dropping each week that will leave you feeling inspired and ready to step up your dad game. Upcoming we are featuring some pretty cool guests, including the host of the number one fatherhood podcast in the world, The Dad Edge and the founder of the Dad Caucus in Congress. -Matt Lofy, The Dadass As you may know by now, we have been pursuing our Dadvocate for Change campaign for over a year now. The culmination of our most recent efforts partnering alongside four dads who happen to sit on Columbus City Council will wrap up on June 14, as 130+ changing tables will be distributed to area businesses or installed into Columbus Parks & Recreation restrooms.
With the support of Council President Shannon Hardin, Council Pro Temp Rob Dorans and Councilmembers Nick Bankston and Emmanual Remy, area small businesses could submit for changing stations to be put into their public facing men’s and gender-neutral restrooms. This was known as the Changing Station Accessibility Grant that was available to Columbus-based businesses that had 50 employees or less and didn’t have a changing station in either restroom. Nearly 50 businesses, requesting roughly 70 changing stations, took advantage of this grant. The hope is to have this continue annually to ensure easier access for all to change children in public. It's exciting to think about how many area places will now be accessible for all to have clean, safe ways to change their children in public. This is a wonderful showing of what the public and private sectors can do to try and move the needle even in small ways that add up to a bigger difference. Through the efforts of The Dadass Podcast and CBUS Dads, the Dadvocate for Change campaign has opened doors and opportunities we have not thought possible just a year ago:
Lots to celebrate as we near Father's Day, but there's still more work to do! stay tuned for what's ahead! -Matt Lofy, The Dadass |
AboutCBUS Dads is a community of central Ohio area dads balancing an active lifestyle with being an involved parent. A Saturday for us may involve enjoying morning t-ball, lunch at a new local spot and an evening at a summer festival with our families. We may live downtown, in the suburbs or somewhere between, but our common thread is that we continue to experience the community we love - now as parents. Archives
July 2024
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