Al Madrigal burst onto the comedy scene in 2004, winning an award at the prestigious US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Nicknamed “The Latin Breeze” for his casual storyteller tone onstage, Madrigal talks openly about cultural and parenting issues, squeezing painfully funny details from his life as a half-Mexican, half-Sicilian married father of two.

His stories touch on things all parents can relate to: swearing in front of the kids, bouncy house birthday parties, and why you should never let your kid watch The Wiggles. We recently chatted with the comic via email.

The Dad List: What was your childhood like? Do your kids have it easier than you?

Al Madrigal: I had it way easier than my kids. Both my parents worked, so me and my two little brothers really got to do as we pleased. We all took the streetcar— the N Judah in San Francisco—45 minutes everyday. We were alone from 3 to 6. We watched TV, played in the street with neighborhood kids, and played sports at school. There was no guitar, no rec league sports.

I’m so freaked out about my son getting hit by a car or kidnapped we’re with them at all times. If he so much as looks at a piano, he’s in a class. Art class, summer school, summer basketball leagues… poor guy has a tighter schedule than I do.

TDL: Before you broke into comedy, you spent almost 10 years firing people. How hard was that, and did it help you to be a better comic or dad?

AM: If you saw “Up in The Air,” that’s pretty much what I did. It was hard at first, but then I became really cold and started to make a sport out of it; that’s when I knew I needed to get out and do something creative and try to give back. I volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, took stained glass classes, and eventually tried stand-up. I’ve easily fired over 1000 people. It’s a weird skill to have but it did give me a couple things that I [still] use: I’m able to make tough decisions quickly without showing emotion, and I’m able to remain pretty calm when someone is giving me shit. Both things translate to comedy and parenting.

TDL: How did parenthood affect your stand-up routine?

AM: It gave me a whole new area… I still haven’t scratched the surface. Other kids and their parents are such idiots the potential for stories is limitless.

TDL: Is there anything about your family that’s off-limits? How thrilled was your wife about the “Pregnant, Horny, & Gassy” routine?

AM: No, everything is fair game. I’ll probably stop talking about my kids as they become more aware of what I do, but my wife is pretty thick-skinned and knows that making fun of her pays the bills. After “Pregnant, Horny, and Gassy” she cried (mainly because she really was pregnant) and made me promise to stop telling that bit. I crossed my fingers and kept doing it… still haven’t found a better opener.

Al Madrigal appears at the Punch Line in San Francisco through March 6th (tickets available here), and you can always get the complete lowdown at AlMadrigal.com

Two years ago in New York City, Lenore Skenazy handed her 9-year old son a subway pass, twenty bucks, and said good-bye, leaving him to take the subway back home. Is this the heartbreaking story of a child’s abduction? Nope. Her son was fine—in fact he loved it. But when Skenazy wrote about the experience, angry parents wanted to see her locked up for child abuse, and she was dubbed “America’s Worst Mom” by the media.

Cut to 2010, and Skenazy has become the “Generalissimo” of the Free-Range Kids movement, which she calls “a common sense approach to parenting in these overprotective times.” We recently spoke with the always funny and outspoken Skenazy.

The Dad List: You talk a lot about parents needing to give kids time and space to explore.

Lenore Skenazy: In our desire to help our kids, we’re outsourcing their childhood to ourselves. “Let me help you with this, let me fix that.” And who’s the one that’s just sitting there like a blob? It’s your kid. One mom wrote me a fantastic note that summed it up: “self-confidence is not parent-assisted confidence.”

TDL: So, when did this transition happen where parents started to find the danger in everything?

LS: I would say it’s been in the past 15 to 20 years. A big factor is that there’s more media, and when the media is competing, they have to get you to pay attention. The story that keeps people glued is an abduction. “Entertainment” shows have picked up on that too, so the same stories that you see on CNN, you’ll see with a ghastly twist on “CSI” or “Law & Order” or all the other ones. They find the most compelling story they can—kidnapping—and they bring it to us day after day.

TDL: What are some first steps for raising a free-range kid?

LS: You want to always look for ways to increase kids’ independence. When they show you that they’re capable of crossing the street safely, and know to never go off with a stranger, then I certainly think a 6 or 7-year old can walk down the block and knock on a friend’s door without it being an international incident.

For older kids, try unplugging for a day so they can’t call you and tell you exactly where they are. Once, I got a call from my son asking if he could have another piece of banana bread, and I thought, “you’re 10!” In another era, he’d be a silversmith apprentice, and here he is asking if he could have another slice of homemade, healthy banana bread because he’s hungry.

I thought (laughing), this is a terrible moment for both of us, because somehow I’ve trained him that he needs to ask, and somehow, he’s listened to me! So, one way to help your kids grow up is to just not take your cell phone with you, since they’ll never leave theirs at home!

Lenore Skenazy is the author of Free-Range Kids, and speaks regularly around the country.

Nowadays, when taking the kids to see Santa, there’s a level of quality you’ve come to expect. The Santas all have real white beards, sport fresh-pressed red velvet outfits, and sit in front of perfectly decorated trees that put Martha Stewart to shame. Sit the kids on the jolly man’s lap? Of course! Santa has surely been thoroughly screened and psychologically profiled.

Oh, but it didn’t used to be this way.

No, back in the 1970s and 80s, any drifter walking in off the street was allowed to wear the red suit. It was often a job for down-on-their-luck guys looking to pick up a few extra bucks around the holidays. And if you didn’t really look like Jolly St. Nick, they would just give you a mask. Seriously.

Luckily, these Santas of a bygone era have been lovingly documented at Sketchy Santas, where you can view a hilarious collection of drifters, vagabonds, and drunken parolees all doing their time as Kris Kringle. Never before have you seen such a unique blend of miserable men and terrified children. As you scroll through the gallery, invent a new game: Who’s the drunkest Santa? Find the most threatening one! Which one forgot he’s wearing a Santa costume?

This year, when you find yourself stuck in a long line waiting for Santa, be thankful that you’re getting a better photo than our parents ever got.

For new and about-to-be Dads, there’s a whole crop of books that offer monumental statements (“It’ll be the greatest adventure of your life!”) mixed in with a few funny Hey-I’m-doing-the-best-I-can stories. While the overall quality of these new guides is pretty high, there’s one piece of advice from The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Being a New Dad that stands out.

Ready? Think back to your childhood and make a “Pro” and “Con” list of things you associate with your Dad. What’s on your “Pro” list? Is it about getting some toy that you threw a fit about? Probably not. Those early-evening games of catch or hiking trips hold a lot more weight. Study those positive memories and strive to bring those into your family life.

And what if your Dad wasn’t that great of a guy? Then have a close look at the “Con” side and focus on not making the same mistakes. It’s easy to fall into the familiar patterns of our parents without even realizing it, so if you’re able to stop just one of those bad behaviors, you’ve already become a better Dad.

Don’t worry about trying to be perfect; instead, treat this as a chance to re-examine your own relationship with your Dad, and to pass along those one or two things that your kids will treasure.

Take a stroll through the “Parenting” section of any bookstore, and you’ll find countless books all promising to cure your little picky eater. Some offer monthly menu planning, while others show you ways to sneak veggies into your kid’s diet. Well, it turns out that the solution may be easier: just like James Brown said, you’ve got to make it funky.

Funky Lunch showcases the creations of Mark Northeast, a dad in the UK, who started making his wild sandwiches as a way to inspire his kids to eat new foods. Along the way, the meals grew into mini-masterpieces. “Funky Lunch was born out of the desire to turn an ordinary lunchtime sandwich into something a bit different to encourage children to eat a varied and healthy lunch,” Northeast writes on the site.

With a gallery full of edible creations, Funky Lunch features sandwiches designed to look like cartoon characters (Spongebob, Winnie the Pooh, Hello Kitty), animals (a giraffe, an alligator, a pig) and even otherwordly creatures (a dragon, the Loch Ness Monster).

Sure, most of us won’t ever make any of these sandwiches, but the real lesson is that when your normal Dad tricks aren’t working, try getting a little funky.

“She was just here a second ago…”

It happens to all parents at some point: you look away for one second, and your child is nowhere to be seen. It’s not foul play; your little one just found something bright and shiny and wandered away. But in that insane moment, all you’re worried about is getting them back as quickly as possible.

There’s a slew of products to help ease your concerns (or prey on your fears, depending on your viewpoint), including GPS trackers and remote devices that sense when your child has wandered too far away from you. The BrickHouse Child Locator even acts like a metal detector, helping to lead you in the right direction. Cheaper solutions like the Mommy I’m Here Locator and the Giggle Bug are cute little wireless devices that can be accessed via a tiny transmitter.

Do these devices feel like overkill? How about this low-tech safety idea: get a dogtag imprinted with your child’s name and your cell phone number. That way, once an adult realizes that your child is lost, they’ll be able to contact you quickly.

Whatever you decide on, make sure to practice the scenario with your child, and always make it part of your routine when going to public spaces, like amusement parks, shopping malls, and sporting events. Child safety isn’t the most fun topic to think about, but it’s one case where an ounce of prevention can go a long way.

As an author, teacher, toy designer, and Emmy-winning science TV-show host, Steve Spangler was already well accomplished. Then one day, he dared to mix Mentos with Diet Coke, and created a phenomenon.

It turns out that there’s more to Steve than just making giant, fizzy geysers. On his site, he has directions for hundreds of fun science experiments, including creating dry ice, making glowing powder, and of course, the famous liquid geyser. Feeling adventurous? Whip up a bowl of “gak” – you probably know it as slime – and watch your kids squeal with delight.

You might ask yourself: hmm, all these free experiments, what’s in it for Steve? Well, he’s not just giving away all this stuff out of the kindness of his heart. Conveniently, there’s test tubes, science kits, bubble makers, and lots more for sale to keep your little science prodigy busy. Don’t worry though, when your kid becomes a famous scientist, they’ll take care of you. After all, a child always remembers who gave them their first beaker.

Are you one of those dads who laughs whenever you see a limited-edition $800 bamboo play fort, because you know an empty box would be a lot more fun? Then head over to ParentHacks.com, a site with “parenting tips from the real experts: actual parents.”

Started in 2005, Parent Hacks is packed with tips and tricks designed to save parents’ time, energy, and money. Divided into categories like attitude, fun, and sleep, even the most non-DIY dads will be inspired to try out these clever ideas. There’s “hacks” for getting your kids to eat better, use the potty, take medicine, and just about every other issue that’ll come your way.

Some of the very best hacks let you transform the stuff you’ve already got into fun and inventive games. Two wet to go outside? Turn your recycling into an indoor bowling alley! Have some old forgotten plants? They’d make perfect spooky Halloween decorations. Activities like this are a great way to spark your child’s imagination, while also introducing them to the idea of a re-using objects.

In fact, there’s enough veteran parenting solutions here that you might just want to keep Parent Hacks as your own little secret. Then, while your partner is staring at you in awe and disbelief as you save the day, just smile and chalk it up to your natural Dad instincts.

Two years ago, Po Bronson made a big splash with his article “How Not to Talk to Your Kids” in New York magazine. In one of those everything-you-know-is-wrong moments, Bronson argues (with the research to back it up) that parents’ never-ending praise — “Great job, Timmy!” — is actually hurtful for a number of reasons. For one, kids don’t learn to take pride in their own accomplishments, because Mommy and Daddy are always there to tell them what a terrific job they’re doing. Even worse, kids become less likely to try out new things since they’ve become afraid of even the slightest appearance of failure.

Now, Bronson has teamed with fellow author/parent Ashely Merryman to write Nurtureshock: New Thinking About Children,” and it’s filled with plenty more eye-opening revelations. Bronson and Merryman examine topics like why kids lie, sibling rivalry, the myth of racially diverse schools, and even the dramatic difference that an extra hour of sleep can make.

Nurtureshock uses a similar style as Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink), sharing stories alongside research to make its’ points, but always keeping the tone light and readable. Don’t worry though, you’ll learn a lot without ever feeling like you’re back in school. Even The Onion calls it “the least touchy-feely parenting book ever.”

And hey, since you’ll be a more informed parent, maybe your kids won’t ever write a tell-all book about you.