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🧔🏽♂️ Dad Thoughts: 5 Things
Niam turns 5 this week. Five years, gone in a flash.
He's wise beyond his years. Every parent says that about their kid, I know. But this is my newsletter, so today it's true about mine.
Five things he's taught me:
1. If you talk to everyone, everyone's your friend. I get called a people person, but the truth is a lot of people wear me out. Not Niam. He walks up to total strangers like they're already old friends, and somehow they become them. Turns out the world's a little less scary when you're the one who says hi first.
2. Fries in a grilled cheese make it infinitely better. Self-explanatory. And he's right.
3. Better to have someone angry with you than upset with you. Anger is a reaction. Sadness is a feeling. When I'm irritated, Niam brushes it off like it's nothing. But the moment he can tell something's genuinely bothering me, he wants to fix it. He gets that mad blows over, but bad feelings stick. I'd rather someone be angry with me than let them down.
4. Always test your limits. Jumping off the sofa, sliding across a freshly mopped floor, he's always pushing his ceiling. And every time, it moves a little higher. Kids don't fear the edge the way we learn to. Somewhere along the way we stop jumping. He reminds me not to.
5. Garlic knots are better than pizza. I don't agree. But he taught me this is just how opinions work.
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🚗 FAMILY FUN FIELD TRIPS
Dad-approved outings.
This Weekend → 🥒 46th Annual Pickle Festival at John Gardiner Farm
Exactly the kind of quirky, old-fashioned day kids remember: handheld pickles, fried pickles, pickle sandwiches, and roasted corn, plus hay rides, historic Lollipop Train rides, live music, a craft market, a farm stand, and a pickle history display on an 1842 farm. Cheap, charming, and a little weird in the best way. All proceeds support the local historical association.
💰 $5 non-members / $3 members / free for kids under 12
📅 Sat Sept 19, 10 AM–4 PM
🔗 greenlawncenterporthistorical
🦕 LuminoCity Dino Safari at Walt Whitman Shops
A walk-through night of 70+ animatronic and illuminated dinosaurs, some towering up to 45 feet, plus rides, a bounce zone, a fossil dig, an LED dance floor, and a DJ booth. This year adds a Dino Dance Party and themed Dino Fall Fun nights. A genuinely awesome, larger-than-life outing, just know it's a drive east into Huntington Station.
💰 $17.99–$20.99 per person (time-slot pricing; kids 3 & under free)
📅 Through Oct 18, evenings
🔗 luminocityfestival
Next Weekend → 🌾 The Long Island Fair at Old Bethpage Village Restoration
The real deal: an old-fashioned county fair running since 1842. Trick horse riding, high divers, an animal stunt show, glassblowing, live music, competitive exhibits (pie contests, livestock, giant pumpkins), rides, and fair food, all inside the historic village. One of the best full-day family outings of the fall.
💰 $20 adults / $15 kids 5-12 / free under 5
📅 Fri Sept 25–Sun Sept 27, 10 AM–5 PM
🔗 lifair
🎃 Fall Fun Fest at Sands Point Preserve
Pumpkin painting, puppet shows from Wonderspark Puppets, up-close animal presentations, and live music on the Gold Coast grounds. A full autumn family day with the mansion and trails as backdrop.
💰 Free with park admission ($15 per car; free for members)
📅 Sun Sep 27, 12 PM-4 PM
🔗 sandspointpreserveconservancy
✏️ PENCIL IT IN
Future you will be glad you read this.
✈️ Long Island Family Day at the Cradle of Aviation
A free, high-energy day: bounce houses, face painting, interactive games, raffles, and giveaways, plus local schools and family resources. An easy no-cost afternoon on Museum Row. (Free event; museum galleries and planetarium are separate admission if you go in.)
💰 Free
📅 Sun Oct 4, 12 PM–3 PM
🔗 cradleofaviation
Two Things:
Forward this to Nassau County parents you think would appreciate it.
Hit reply and tell me anything - what you liked, what you want more of, what I missed. I read every single reply.
And if someone forwarded this to you, welcome. You can subscribe here: nassaudaddrop.com
See you next Thursday,
Akash