A recent survey by CareerBuilder confirms the challenge among working dads to navigate the demands of work and family life. According to the survey, 38% of working dads, if given the choice, would take a pay cut to spend more time with their kids. Nearly one in four working dads (24 percent) feel work is negatively impacting their relationship with their children. Forty-eight percent have missed a significant event in their child's life due to work at least once in the last year, and nearly one in five (18 percent) have missed four or more. Thirty-six percent of working dads say their company does not offer family-friendly work arrangements such as flexible schedules, telecommuting, job sharing and more.
The Power of WEEE!
Everyone has worry and fear in their lives, and as parents this worry and fear is exponentially increased. There are constant questions like, "Are my children healthy?" "Do we have enough money?" "Am I doing a good job?" The list could go on indefinitely, with the worry and anxiety becoming overwhelming at times.
What will your child’s marriage look like?
The current generation of fathers has been decimated by the tragedy of divorce. Many men saw their parents divorce, and some have been through a divorce themselves. These men have often told us that they wish they had seen a good marriage in action when they were young. They had a deep desire to see a committed, loving relationship between the two people they loved the most, and they are still missing that model now that they have children of their own.
What Makes Your Teen Happy?
The Associated Press and MTV released the results of a poll on the nature of happiness among America’s young people—ages 13 to 24. “What makes you happy?” the poll asked. It will surprise (or shock) many that the number one response was spending time with family. Next...
Education: Discovery for Kids and Dads
Each new school year brings excitement, hope and sometimes, uneasiness for our children. Recently my college-age son and I fell into a conversation that lasted the better part of an evening.
New Daddy Diary: Oh, please let that be chocolate
Once children enter your life, you begin to learn many aspects of life that are different now that you are a parent. One of those aspects is to not get so upset by things that otherwise would ruin your day. You also quickly learn one of the most vital tests parents can keep in their arsenal — the sniff test.
How to Reinvent Government—Starting With Your Family
Do you want to raise your children with a proper view of politics? For that matter, what is a proper view of politics?
The Effective Stepfather: A Checklist to Live By
by Ron Deal – Stepfathering can be challenging — and perhaps that’s why many stepfathers disconnect from their stepchildren. But stepfathers can have profound and important leadership roles.
Someone Who Loves You
Children in eleven U.S. cities are giving moving tributes to their fathers as they read their prize-winning essays during Father of the Year celebration events. Each essay has a story behind it, and Haley Hubbard, a 12th grader from Tulsa, brought the entire audience to tears as she stood with her stepfather and read this essay:
Stepfathering Adolescents: It Takes Patience, Flexibility and Humor
Pre-teen and teenage kids can pose a tremendous challenge for stepfathers. As they develop their identity and self-esteem, they are very sensitive to dramatic changes in their family structure and living situations.
How to Cook a Stepfamily
Whether you realize it or not, your stepfamily has likely assumed a specific integration style. By that, I mean a set of assumptions about how your stepfamily 'ought' to come together. I like to use cooking as an analogy to identify some integration styles that stepfamilies attempt to utilize. Let’s start with the ones that generally don't work.
Stepdads: Don’t Compete With the Child’s Father
Orville is about to become a stepfather, and he wrote to me with a question: the 8-year-old son of his fiancée minds his father very well, but wreaks havoc at home. "What should I do?" Orville writes.
Categories
Welcome to the fathers.com fathering library.
A Commitment to Give More to Family
Cameron Stracher is a busy working dad. He's a law professor in New York who also does legal work, with a long commute to and from work every day. Several years ago, he found himself feeling "over-extended, over-committed and physically exhausted," and very...
The Art of Fatherhood
by Chad Kyler As a single father of a twelve-year old boy, I am beginning to understand that fatherhood really is an art. Among other things I am learning that as much as I'd like to continue the semi-dictatorial regime that once ruled my home, the future is turning...
“Dad, I wish you would …”
As fathers, we would do well to admit up front that none of us has "arrived." We all have room to improve, and we should all be diligent about figuring out where we need to grow and then actively seeking to be more effective in those areas. As a research-based...
Discipline Lessons from a Speeding Ticket
People attending our events have requested more practical information on discipline, and we know all dads (and moms) will benefit from the practical ideas presented by Dr. Bob Barnes. He teaches that children learn best from experiencing the natural consequences of...
Great Fathers Make Good Neighbors
by Foster Cline M.D. The teen years can be the best of times and the worst of times. At no other time in your child's life can things be more trying. One common mistake made by loving parents is that they don't give teens enough responsibility soon enough. Too often...
Welcoming Young Dads to the Fatherhood Party
by Jamie Bohnett In the mid-1990's, I was a dad of a teenage daughter and three other children under ten. Through my involvement in various fatherhood events in the Seattle area, I heard about the "Welcome To Fatherhood Party" from a dad named Griggs Irving. The idea...
How is your job impacting your fathering?
A recent survey by CareerBuilder confirms the challenge among working dads to navigate the demands of work and family life. According to the survey, 38% of working dads, if given the choice, would take a pay cut to spend more time with their kids. Nearly one in four...
The Power of WEEE!
Everyone has worry and fear in their lives, and as parents this worry and fear is exponentially increased. There are constant questions like, "Are my children healthy?" "Do we have enough money?" "Am I doing a good job?" The list could go on indefinitely, with the...
What will your child’s marriage look like?
The current generation of fathers has been decimated by the tragedy of divorce. Many men saw their parents divorce, and some have been through a divorce themselves. These men have often told us that they wish they had seen a good marriage in action when they were...
What Makes Your Teen Happy?
The Associated Press and MTV released the results of a poll on the nature of happiness among America’s young people—ages 13 to 24. “What makes you happy?” the poll asked. It will surprise (or shock) many that the number one response was spending time with family. Next...
Education: Discovery for Kids and Dads
by Ron Nichols Each new school year brings excitement, hope and sometimes, uneasiness for our children. Recently my college-age son and I fell into a conversation that lasted the better part of an evening. We talked about what he’s interested in, course work he’s...
New Daddy Diary: Oh, please let that be chocolate
Once children enter your life, you begin to learn many aspects of life that are different now that you are a parent. One of those aspects is to not get so upset by things that otherwise would ruin your day. You also quickly learn one of the most vital tests parents...