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.

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 of our kids will have a unique (and maybe surprising) perspective on our fathering and our family life. 3 thoughts to keep in mind …
A big part of fathering is getting to know your child better and growing your relationship. One key strategy is simple, but often overlooked.
Healthy awareness of our kids helps us bond with them, encourage them, teach them, and much more. It informs all our other fathering actions.
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.
Dr. Ken looks at his research-based 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers and how they have changed through the years.
These questions provide a good marker for how aware you are of your child and his world, which helps with many areas of fathering.
by Joshua Becker: Children add joy, purpose, and fulfillment to our lives. And given the chance, they will teach us valuable life lessons.
Kids say and do some pretty crazy things, and it’s good for dads to respond to teach and correct them. But there also needs to be balance.
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.
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...
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.
When dads and daughters get together and focus on each other, good things happen. We saw it over and over years ago when we hosted father-daughter events all over the country, and it’s a big reason why we’re starting them up again. We heard incredible stories of...
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. If you’re a dad, you know that waiting is part of the gig. {And please note: this is a somewhat lighthearted look at fatherhood, but I don't want to minimize the very real and difficult waiting that many couples do when they're trying to...
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before. Maybe you’ve even read the book by John Gray, though it first came out more than thirty years ago. I find his book title to be fitting in...
How well do you know your child's developmental milestones and progress? A study at the University of Rochester discovered that about one-third (31.2%) of parents of 9-month-olds are "clueless" about child development milestones, such as when babies talk, learn right...
Rick and his family were out at the lake, staying in a cabin for a week, getting some well-deserved vacation time. One morning they were getting ready to go fishing, and Rick was walking along the dock toward the boat with his arms full of gear. He stumbled on a loose...
Getting ready to go back to school impacts the entire family... For kids, a new school year means new teachers, new classrooms, and possibly new responsibilities. Sometimes it means new friends. The first days at a new school—or first days in middle school or high...
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Some years back, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal set out to write a story that she believed would really impact her readers. She wanted to interview a CEO of a publicly traded company who was committed to his family and actively involved...
Ahh, the sounds of summer. No, this isn't about the crack of the bat, or fireworks, or even the sizzle of the barbecue. This is about the droning whines of your offspring. Maybe this summer you've heard statements like: “Dad, There’s nothing to do around...
A few years ago, one of our staff had the chance to talk to an active military dad during an airport layover. Jim, an officer in the Air Force, had been away from his wife and kids for four months, and he had missed Christmas with them for the second time. It was...
by Matt Haviland I was a single father for almost a decade. They were challenging years, but looking back I realize that some of my hardest moments taught me the greatest lessons. That doesn’t mean everything got easier as time went on, or that I achieved some level...
by Jeff Zaugg I’ll never forget the joy that swelled up inside my 9-year-old heart as I watched my dad leap into a swimming pool from a raised perch in front of hundreds of cheering cruise ship passengers. It was the biggest event of the four-day cruise: the Belly...
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Father’s Day is an occasion to celebrate, no doubt about it. It might even be a day for dads to recommit themselves to loving and investing in their children in meaningful ways. That’s what all of us are about at fathers.com. But...