Too many families are letting the use of cell phones and other technology—especially texting—distract them from more important goals.
Raising Honorable Sons: 5 Important Keys
by Rick Johnson One of the character traits sorely lacking in our culture today is that of masculine honor. Dads who want their boys to grow up to be good men, fathers, and leaders of their family will strive to teach this powerful concept to their sons. Perhaps no...
10 Tips for Talking to Your Son About Girls
You remember being at that age dad, when girls are definitely the hot topic. Make sure you’re the one having the important discussions on girls with your son.
Building Teamwork in Your Family
You may have your favorite sports team, and it may be pretty important to you that they make it to the playoffs. But when it comes to the most important team in your life, its your family! Make sure your team is in sync. Here are NCF's 9 Ways to Build Teamwork in Your...
10 Ways to Date Your Daughter
Dad, taking your daughter on dates is one of the most important things you can do for her. These dates can shape the way that she will expect to be treated on dates when she is older. What example are you setting? Here are NCF's 10 Ways to "Date Your Daughter". Make...
How would your child fill in the blanks?
One child’s comments about his dad provide a sobering reminder about the role we play in the lives of our children.
Appreciate Your Kids’ Teachers
by Eric Snow As an involved father, you are one of your child’s first teachers, and you’re on the job as soon as the baby is born. You coo and cuddle him and shake objects in front of him to help him learn to focus and respond. You help in teaching him to take a...
Be Reliable Despite Divorce: How to Make Joint Custody Work
by Dat To Joint child custody can be a real challenge for many fathers. Putting together a schedule that pleases both parties and the children involved can be hard enough. And it can be exhausting trying to deal with the stress of shuffling children from house to...
5 Ways to be a Great Dad
by Steve Huff Last summer I was selected as the 2014 Kansas City Father of the Year. What a humbling and surprising experience! Braxton, my 15 year old son, had written an essay for his English class titled “What my Father Means to Me,” which was chosen as the ninth...
First Hero, First Love: A Dad’s Role for Sons and Daughters
“To a girl, a father is her first love. To a boy, a father is his first hero.” How can you do your best in each role?
Dads, Define Real Manhood for Your Kids
What does it mean to be a real man? That’s the question Tim Truesdale asked his eight-year-old son a few months ago. The boy paused, thought for a few moments, and then said, “I don’t know, Dad.” Tim says his heart sank when he heard that because he knew that teaching...
A 5th Grader Describes 3 Ways to Be a Better Dad
We get to read a lot of priceless comments about dads written by kids as part of our Father of the Year Essay Contests, and here's an example from a 5th grader named Brennan. He’ll probably make you laugh, but you’ll also be challenged to be a better dad: When I...
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.
4 Qualities of Growing Dads
Howard, who grew up without a dad, became a father in his teens and has struggled for years with the demands of raising five children, especially since he never had a male role model. Working two jobs, he was always too tired for his kids and made excuses instead of...
The Best Things to Say When Kids Are Competing
What’s the best way to handle ourselves at our kids’ sports events? Brad was frustrated by his son’s baseball schedule. After spring sign-ups, the family was notified the team would be starting “spring training” right away, and those pre-season skill-building sessions...
“Why is my father always angry?”
There’s a powerful fathering insight that some of us need to hear and take to heart, and it comes from our online search data. Quite a few people come to fathers.com using search terms like: “how do I deal with my angry dad”“why is my father always yelling at...
The Paradox of “No Guarantees”
As dads, there’s a truth we need to embrace—and the earlier in the fatherhood journey that we do it, the better: Our kids don’t come with guarantees. Some of the most powerful examples of this are found in the tragic episodes of violence that crop up in news feeds all...
Meeting Your Children’s Basic but Important Needs
For quite a few years, our staff at NCF had the privilege of interviewing dads as part of essay contests and Father’s Day celebrations around the country. Those interviews brought out the unique and often inspiring ways each man expressed his commitment to his...
A New School Year: 3 Tips for Dads
Your children just started school or are about to go back, and that should be a big deal in your mind—whether they’re starting kindergarten or the last year of graduate school. They will mature and be shaped in incredible ways during coming months, and of course you...
Intentional, Joy-Filled Fathering
When someone announces, “I’m going to be a dad!” it’s a reason to celebrate. When one father made that announcement, his wife quickly followed with a report on his recent surge of activity at home. Apparently his joy and anticipation inspired him to rearrange their...
Effective Fathering for a New Generation
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Recently, someone reminded me that it’s been 30 years since the publication of my book, The 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers. 30 years! A lot has happened with that book since 1992, including dozens of weekend 7 Secrets events in cities all over...
Dads and Fast-Food Modeling
Are you a fast-food dad? A few years back, we ran across an unusual way of looking at a father’s influence and the importance of setting a positive example ... and it has to do with food! Here’s a statistic that probably won’t surprise you: In 1974, out of all the...
“Dad, I Wish We Could Talk About ________”
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. What topics do teenagers want to talk about with their dads? A few years back, we asked that question to a group of teenage daughters at one of our father-daughter events. (I try to never miss an opportunity to capture a few more insights and...
Involved Fathering … or Connected Fathering?
Here at NCF, we often talk about involved fathering. Dads need to be engaged in their kids’ lives. Involvement is the "I" in the I-CANs of Fathering, the four key fundamentals dads put into practice. And it’s no surprise that research shows a strong link between a...
Let the Selfies Begin: Creative Summer Fun for Dads & Kids
by Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield The past few years have been intense, as we all know. Not only have we been struck with a pandemic and political and social unrest, but it seems like shootings in schools and stores and other places are continually on the rise. If...