Should we let our kids when we’re competing against them? It can be difficult for a dad. And it might require an attitude adjustment.
Fatherhood and the Waiting Game
Waiting on our kids isn’t fun. But being there shows them over and over that they are worth our time, effort, patience, and perseverance.
Each Child Is Different! 3 Important Truths for Dads
Each of our kids will have a unique (and maybe surprising) perspective on our fathering and our family life. 3 thoughts to keep in mind …
Important Father-Child Interviews
A big part of fathering is getting to know your child better and growing your relationship. One key strategy is simple, but often overlooked.
3 Ways to Better Know Your Children (and Avoid Some Surprises)
Healthy awareness of our kids helps us bond with them, encourage them, teach them, and much more. It informs all our other fathering actions.
Laugh with Them. Cry with Them.
by Jay Payleitner: When a child reveals a clear emotion, reflect their demeanor back to them. Celebrate with them in their joy or join them in their sorrow.
Effective Fathering for a New Generation
Dr. Ken looks at his research-based 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers and how they have changed through the years.
Can You Answer These Questions About Your Child?
These questions provide a good marker for how aware you are of your child and his world, which helps with many areas of fathering.
7 Life Lessons One Dad Learned From His Kids
by Joshua Becker: Children add joy, purpose, and fulfillment to our lives. And given the chance, they will teach us valuable life lessons.
Stretch to Connect with Your Child
It’s almost a guarantee that we’ll have to stretch a bit—or maybe even take some risks—to connect with our kids and become better dads.
5 Power Strategies a Dad Can Use to Lead His Daughter
by Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield As we all know, it can be a daunting task for dads and daughters to talk about the hard stuff, the deep stuff, the vulnerable stuff, and the complex stuff. And a lot of dads have told me they prefer to leave some of those heavier topics...
Knowing Your Child: Awareness Can Revitalize Your Fathering
Awareness allows a dad to work from a position of strength, where you know what stifles your children and what makes each of them thrive. With that knowledge, you lovingly act to meet their needs.
Categories
Welcome to the fathers.com fathering library.
On the left you will see how our blogs and articles are categorized. Choose your stage in the fathering journey under Your Kids, click on a specific situation that applies to you, or browse through the items in our hot topics and fathering fundamentals. Also, check out Tools for the Journey – short downloadable pieces with tips for specific challenges.
Dad: Harness the Power of Sibling Competition
by Jay Payleitner Competition between siblings (or cousins) is a great tool for dads. While you can still outsmart them, there are all kinds of ways you can shape and motivate your kids and they won’t even know it. Got a pile of bricks that need to be moved from here...
Fathering Is Worth Doing Badly
Here at fathers.com, we want all dads to do their best. Be devoted to your children. Make them a top priority. Commit yourself to being there for them through all the ups and downs of life. Give them lots of encouragement and affirmation. Teach them skills and...
Questions to Help Dads Connect Heritage & Legacy
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Becoming a father is life-changing in many ways, as all dads know. At some point, often during the first few weeks or years of fatherhood, there is a kind of nexus between the past and the future in each man’s journey. Regarding the past,...
Tension with Our Kids’ Mom Deeply Affects Our Fathering
When there’s tension with your child’s mother, it impacts everyone. That might be an odd message to convey so soon after Valentine’s Day, but we all know what real life is like all the other days of the year that aren’t our anniversary or a special date night. And for...
A Dozen Activities to Help You Win Your Daughter’s Heart
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, here’s a reminder that the holiday isn’t reserved only for romance between sweethearts. It’s also an opportunity for a girl to be treated in an extra special way by her dad, thus...
Winning and Losing in Father-Child Contests
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Bob’s two teenage sons were challenging him in many ways physically—arm twisting and wrestling and so on—and they talked about racing him to see if they were faster. It leads to a common question for dads: What’s the impact of winning or losing...
One Way to Restore Hope to Your Fathering
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. What keeps a dad motivated and hopeful? That’s a key question that I’ve been pondering and researching for some time, and I’ll have more on this in the coming weeks and months. I’m more and more convinced of this: Hope is a powerful force and...
Birthday Reflections: A Father’s Legacy
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. I recently gathered with many of my children and grandchildren to celebrate a birthday: my 70th. It was a wonderful and sometimes wild time together. During the days before that celebration, I came up with a sheet of reflections that I handed...
Game Time! Have a FUN Family Christmas
Are there gamers in your family? Actually this isn’t the kind of gaming you’re probably thinking of. And it has very little (if anything) to do with phones, computers or keyboards (unless you come up with one that involves a piano). This is about playing games with...
3 Fathering Insights from Joseph
by Jeff Zaugg Have you ever had dreams or expectations that fell flat or didn’t materialize the way you hoped? That happened to my family and me a few years ago when we were on an RV trip in Texas. We had plans to spend a few days at a lake that looked beautiful on...
Perfume Day: A Powerful Dad-Daughter Holiday Tradition
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Per·fume [pərˌfyo͞om] · a fragrant liquid typically made from essential oils extracted from flowers and spices, used to impart a pleasant smell to one's body or clothes. Day [dā/] · a period of twenty-four hours as a unit of time;...
What’s Your Plan for the Holidays, Dad?
It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and in case you didn't know it, dad, last week was a test—or maybe a warm-up. How did you do? It’s good to ask yourself questions like: “Did I help make the celebration all it could be? Or did I just kind of show up and let things...