I love seeing entrepreneurs embracing the need to help families with some of their toughest tasks.  Folks who have created online calendars, iPhone apps, allowance programs and more can bring important tools to families.

The latest tech-based tool for families to teach financial responsibility is Tykoon.com.  I love the concept here.  In essence, parents can set up chores, responsibilities or behaviors that they would like to reward and post them on Tykoon.  As their kids accomplish something that has a reward established (financial or otherwise), the login and record their accomplishment.  When financial rewards are attached to the behavior, the child builds an account from which he can save, spend or give to charitable causes.

Tykoon is incredibly easy to use and they have built lots of security protections into the program.  Parents can access Tykoon at the family computer, with a mobile app or anywhere via web browser.  And kids can watch their savings grow and save for things they want to get or for supporting a variety of charitable causes.

So check out Tykoon and see if it can help you and your family learn more about being responsible stewards of your resources.

More on teaching financial responsibility at home:

• Getting out of debt in your family
• Finding money for college
• Top 7 financial habits for fathers and families

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One of the important skills I learned early in my parenting years was the skill of active listening.  I will be the first to admit I don't do it as well or as often as I should.  I tend to be easily distracted and my efforts at multitasking often leave me trying to focus in too many areas at once than I should.

But taking the time and paying attention to whomever is communicating with me at any given time is actually a big time saver.  If you fail to actively listen, you usually have to have the same conversation multiple times.  And it helps you come to appreciate the other person even more when you take the time to listen and to communicate the value that the person has to you.

So, take a look at my primer on active listening and see if it can help you in your important role as a parent!

More on Family Communications:

• Talking to kids about sex
• Keys to effective family communication
• Dealing with crushes in your child's life

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Babysitters can be life savers, especially for single dads who find themselves needing an occasional night out, date, or having a late meeting at work.  Choosing the right babysitter is a big deal, but just as important, a single dad needs to know when it is time to make a change.  What are the warning signs for a single dad to know when his babysitter needs to be replaced?

There are some important warning signs that should make a single dad think twice about using the babysitter again when these signs pop up.

More helps for single dads:

• How to Adjust to Life as a Single Father
• Taming the Cooking Monster
• Raising a Daughter as a Single Dad

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Now that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States, it is time to be thinking about what Governor Romney would do for fathers as President.  It is an interesting question because we know that he is a committed father of five sons and 16 grandchildren and that he and his wife Ann have been married for 46 years (a pretty good record of family life).  But his service as governor of Massachusetts as it relates to fathers' rights was not very distinguished.

But, given that situation, I did some research about Governor Romney's history and his stance on issues related to fathers and families.  And as time goes on and political platforms become clearer, I will update this profile and try to keep our readers up to date on the positions taken by both Governor Romney and President Obama as the November election draws closer.

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