by Jay Payleitner – Maybe Father’s Day should not be about me. And just maybe it shouldn’t be about you either.
Know When to Pick Your Battles, Dad
If you choose a battle, Dad, prepare yourself to fight that battle and win that battle.
Make Sure Your Kids Have Some Mad Skills
This week we're featuring a guest blog from Jay Payleitner—a best-selling author, speaker, and good friend of the National Center for Fathering whose latest book is 10 Conversations Kids Need to Have with Their Dad. He also has a recent one called 52 Things Sons Need...
Daddy-Daughter Date Ideas for Committed Dads
Jay Payleitner: You can’t force deep, meaningful, life-changing conversations. But if you keep showing up … they’ll happen. And you’ll be glad you were there.
Six Tips for Husbands on Valentine’s Day (Including One that’s “Naughty”)
Ideas from Jay Payleitner: “Buying a last-minute gift is naughty, and not in the good way. It tells your wife that you don’t consider her as a high priority.”
Good and Evil, Vampires and Heroes
Have you ever thought about the message you are sending your kids on Halloween when they dress up like a bloodied vampire and stuff their faces with candy? On the one hand, Halloween is fun. Getting dressed up and pretending to be someone else is a blast. And who...
Father-Child Fun with Knock-Knock Jokes
Looking back on 2010, I didn't laugh quite enough with my kids. How about you?
Which of your kids is your favorite?
Remember The Smothers Brothers variety show? It was highly rated and filled with cutting-edge comedy. TV legend has it that the NBC execs were continually censoring jokes and bits that pushed the envelope of propriety. Thinking back, it was all very tame by today's standards. (The impact of television on the degradation of the culture is a discussion we can have some other time.)
Audio: Answer Questions with Questions (like Jesus)
Kids are curious. They love to learn — especially from you, dad. And the teaching method that Jesus used still works today.
Audio: Don’t Yell over Spilled Milk
Having kids gives you multiple chances to be a real-life hero. But only if your children have learned that, in a crisis, they can trust in your unconditional love.
How to Spy on Your Kids
Don’t let your kids read this article. DON’T LET YOUR KIDS READ THIS ARTICLE. They don’t need to know all your secrets. Now, because my five kids will eventually read the following paragraphs, I may have to deliver this concept in dad-to-dad code, but I have a good sense you’re smart enough to read between the lines.
Should You Freak Out over Lost Tools?
I’m assuming you own a socket wrench set. If you don’t, get one soon. It is an absolute requirement for certain maintenance and construction projects. You can get a sweet set for less than fifty bucks.
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, do you shirk discipline?
A few years back, a research study on parental discipline emerged from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, and here's the big headline for fathers: Dads are largely shirking discipline duties. "When it comes to disciplining the kids, there's been a role...
Treat Your Daughter Like Royalty
Insights Straight from Girls by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Dads, I'm here to give you an all-access pass behind the curtain of a girl’s heart from the vantage point of a few courageous girls who shared their thoughts. Romance and royalty. I wonder what it is...
Laugh with Them. Cry with Them.
by Jay Payleitner Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. - Romans 12:15 When our kids come to us with emotional news, why do we often reflect the opposite emotion back to them? I will never forget a brief conversation I had with my dad my...
5 Ways to Make a Difference for Your Son
According to recent research, boys in our country are "fragile." And this isn't a new idea. Similar things have been written for almost the past 30 years. When compared to girls, boys generally show much higher tendencies to struggle with issues such as: learning...
Single Fathers: Press On
by Matt Haviland Is it possible to be a great father as a single dad? The short answer is, “Absolutely!” However, since being a single parent brings a variety of outside factors and dynamics, we may have to take a slightly different approach. It will surely look...
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...