Hi, I'm Don, and this is my story.

I am a father of three, a children's book author, and the founder of Parents Helping Kids. None of that happened in a straight line, and honestly, that is kind of the point.

It started with a love for helping kids, teaching kids, and inspiring them to believe in themselves, especially my own three kiddos. I worked with children at Sunday school for years, and that taught me something early on: kids are listening and absorbing everything, especially the things we do not say out loud.

Then came the books.

My first book, I Am Karl, is self-published, and I am really proud of it. It is the story of a young pup who gets teased and bullied on his first day of school and learns that the real superpower lives inside him, not in what anyone else says about him. Parents have been reading it with their kids and building these really cool self-belief rituals around it, and that feedback means everything to me.

My second book is called My Daddy's Broken (coming soon). It was inspired by a real moment with my daughter, Evelynn. I said no to her one day, and she looked at me and went, oh no, I think Daddy's broken. We laughed, and then we actually wrote the story together. She had real input on it, including the pony and the legendary Professor PapaFixIt. It is a funny, heartwarming story, and it is currently in manuscript form, making its way out to publishers. Fingers crossed!

I spent years with a creative mind I did not act on. Software sales, raising kids, living a normal life. But story ideas kept hitting me, and I kept writing them down. I finally said,
“It is time.” And here we are.

Here is what I did not do well enough when my boys, David and Michael, were younger: I did not do the work on myself first. I did not realize yet that a parent leading by example is one of the most powerful things you can do for your kids. That changed. It took accountability and honest reflection, but it changed. And watching how that shift affected my kids, including Evelynn, who is eight now, is what pushed me to build this platform.

Parents Helping Kids is relatively new, and I am building it as I go. It is just a real dad sharing the honest stuff. The mistakes, the wins, and everything in between.

I believe parents who are doing the work on themselves are the greatest gift they can give their children. This blog is where I share what I am learning: the mistakes, the moments, the small wins, and the lessons that came from getting things wrong before getting them right. There will be tips, there will be stories, and sometimes there will just be the honest mess of being a parent who is still figuring it out.

I am not a therapist. I am not a psychologist. I am a dad who cares deeply, who stumbled plenty, and who believes it is never too late to grow, for yourself and for your kids.

I am writing more children's books, and I am loving every bit of it.

And this, right here, is my way of putting it all out into the world.

If I can, you can. Believe that.

Follow Parents Helping Kids on Facebook and Instagram, or drop a message through the contact form. I'd love to hear your story too!