Sometimes spending time with a teenager means adjusting to his or her schedule. So be ready, dad. When those chances come, don’t miss ‘em.
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.
The Paradox of “No Guarantees”
While we dads can’t guarantee that our children will make wise choices and lead a responsible life, we can greatly increase the odds.
Meeting Your Children’s Basic but Important Needs
With all the uncertainty in today’s world, we must not underestimate what a difference it makes when kids feel safe, loved, valued, and heard.
Intentional, Joy-Filled Fathering
Joy should be an everyday habit and should continue to be evident through the entire course of our fathering lives.
Involved Fathering … or Connected Fathering?
The father who’s truly seeking the best for his kids puts his knowledge and his aspirations into action. Simply stated, he connects.
Let the Selfies Begin: Creative Summer Fun for Dads & Kids
Dr. Michelle Watson started this silly tradition with her dad, and you can do something similar with your children to increase laughter and strengthen your bond.
4 Ways to Be a More Committed Dad
Being a good dad usually means sacrificing some activities. But in reality, it isn’t a sacrifice because our kids are more important.
Giving Our Kids Focused Attention
We’re thinking about them–what’s happening in their world. We’re stepping out of our own issues and concerns and being all about theirs.
Be Joyfully, Expectantly Inconvenienced
By Peter Lewis: Hope for, wait for, eagerly anticipate, even relish the joyful intrusion of your children into your life.
Bedtime Joys & Opportunities for Dads
Bedtime can be one of the best, most pure moments of fathering, or it can be a tense, emotional struggle. Whenever possible, dads, be there.
Imperfect Dads Doing Our Best
We all make mistakes. There are ways we need to improve. But we’re still heroes in our kids’ eyes.
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.
Know When to Pick Your Battles, Dad
by Jay Payleitner Our kids were not fussy eaters. But one of them really, really didn’t like asparagus. Actually, none of the kids liked asparagus. But during one particular dinner, that one particular 8-year-old let it be known that there was no way he was going to...
The Myth of Quality Time
Dad: how are you doing creating quality time with your kids? For many years parents have used that phrase when referring to their best intentions with their children: spending quality time with them. Through the years there have also been pro-fatherhood campaigns that...
Connecting Through Fashion: Understanding Your Daughter’s Unique Style
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Dad, you’ve surely noticed some things about your daughter that you may never fully understand, often due to the built-in differences between male and female. And as a committed and dialed-in GirlDad, part of connecting with your...
Walking with Your Kids Through Tragedies
Our world—and here in the U.S., our nation—has endured another tragedy in last weekend’s assassination attempt and the death or injury of bystanders. You’ve probably heard and seen a lot about it, and details will continue to emerge. Sadly, this is one more incident...
4 Habits of Dads Who GET IT
Do you get it dad? Are you actively doing the habits associated with great fathering? Here at fathers.com, we put a lot of stock in empirical research about fathering. Much of our research is quantitative: social science data that can be measured, categorized and...
A Summer Fun Checklist for Dads
by Dr. Ken Canfield Happy 4th, dads! I hope you’re able to enjoy a long weekend celebrating our nation’s freedom (if you’re in the U.S.). There are many good reasons to look forward to Independence Day, and I hope you go all out with celebrating and enjoying time with...
A New Life and a Vote for the Future
by Dr. Ken Canfield My family is celebrating a new life with the birth of another grandchild. That makes sixteen grandkids total, although it’s the first child for one of my adult children—the last of the five to become a parent. It’s an incredible and joyful time,...
Father’s Day: Your Kids Are Worth Your Very Best
by Dr. Ken Canfield Dad: It’s Father's Day! How will you celebrate? There are probably as many options as there are unique dads. But we all share a few things in common, and there are positive things for all of us to keep in mind. This Father’s Day, I hope you feel...
Honoring Your Dad is a Privilege
The U.S. Census Bureau regularly releases interesting statistics related to various holidays. For Father's Day, many of them focus on gifts to get for a dad: As of 2021, there were 6,000 men's clothing stores in the United States, 15,000 hardware stores, and 20,000...
Creating Summer Memories: Intentional Fatherhood
Officially, summer is still almost a month away, but for many families the end of the school year is the start of summer vacation and a time of definite change in the routine. Maybe this summer your kids have a busy schedule of sports, camps and sports camps, music or...
Staying Calm at Bedtime: A Dad Needs Tips
This week we’re addressing a question we received from a dad. He wrote: Looking for some tips on staying calm at kids' bedtime. Having to ask them to do their teeth and put their PJs on 50 &#%?@! times kills me, and then they get upset, then I get upset. Happens a...
3 Reasons to Honor Moms
by Dr. Ken Canfield Dads, you’re ready to honor your mother and your children’s mother this Sunday ... aren’t you? I hope Mother’s Day is something you throw yourself into, because moms deserve it—and it’s good for us and for our kids. By now you have probably made...