A few words of encouragement to single dads who have custody of their kids. In many ways, these dads can learn valuable lessons from the many single moms who have blazed the trail before them.
Lessons from Two Widower Dads
Brian wrote to us and asked for help. He lost his wife in a car accident and is now left to care for his two children—a 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.
Five Goals for Live-Away Dads
A peaceful divorce? Possibly. A pain-free divorce? That’s exceedingly rare. The adjustments for dad, mom and kids are major.
Making the Most of Long-Distance Fathering
One summer, pitcher Terry Mulholland was selected as the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game. Mulholland planned to reject the invitation and pass up a chance to pitch in the summer classic. Why? Because Terry is also a father. He's a long-distance dad who saw the three-day break as a chance to catch up with his young son, Tyler. They'd planned a father-son fishing trip, and Terry was determined to keep his word. As it turned out, Mulholland's manager gave him another day off, so he was able to pitch in the game and then fly to Arizona to take Tyler fishing.
Daddy's Dream
A letter from a dad named Monty has touched on a rather challenging dilemma for the National Center for Fathering: how can we talk and write about healthy fathering when so many dads out there rarely even have the opportunity to be an effective father?
Wisdom from Real Dads
Do you want some expert fathering advice? Let’s turn to the real experts out there—the dads in the trenches.
NOT Deadbeats … HEARTbeats
Several years ago in Louisiana, there was an ongoing policy debate about the "Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of Louisiana," which proposed prosecuting and imprisoning parents—usually dads—who are behind in their child support payments. Opponents of the bill asserted that, in many ways, it would only make things worse for those dads by further hindering their ability to earn an income and separating them from their children. They also pointed out that it would be an extra burden on the state.
You and Your Children’s Mother: Overcoming Anger for Your Kids’ Sake
Getting tired of hearing about how all single dads are angry? If you're like me, you don't even read the "deadbeat dad" articles anymore—it's enough to make you mad!
Divorced Dads and the Holidays
It was one of those cards written to make you grin at the sarcasm and I did chuckle. The card, decorated appropriately with red berries and green holly, read: "Don't let them destroy the hypocrisy of Christmas… It's the only part I enjoy!"
Single Dads and Communication
For single dads it's easy for long-distance phone conversations to slip into "Uncle Dad" questions: "How are things going?" "Fine." "What have you been up to?" "Oh, you know. School and stuff." "How's your sister?" "Fine." "Well, it's been great talking to you."
Beating a Legacy of Marital Failure
When a family breaks up, what happens to the children?
Divorce is a tragedy. It often devastates the couple involved, and worrying about the children is an added burden. There are short-term concerns, like schoolwork, social behavior, and the stress of going back and forth between households.
Divorced Dads: Research and Redemption
We know from a considerable amount of research that divorce impacts a family for generations. Children especially tend to carry negative feelings about home, marriage and sexuality into their adult lives, and they are more anxious and pessimistic about their future.
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.
SuperDad
Recently, Sue Shellenbarger, the work and family columnist for the Wall Street Journal, wrote about “Undercover Moms”—women who find themselves changing outfits on the run several times a day as they juggle their various roles. In her article, Shellenbarger included...
I’m Sorry
Ali McGraw told Ryan O'Neal, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Well, here's one dad's love story which did involve saying "I'm sorry." When Dietrich Gruen first became a stepdad, he struggled to find common ground with Matt, his step-son. They found it in...
Stepdads: Assemble the Parts
If a machine breaks down, a repairman looks at all the parts and pinpoints the problem. Let's see if that works with kids. John is a stepfather whose 12-year-old stepson Brian had hit a rough spot in life. His grades were sagging, and he had behavioral problems in the...
Erma on Stepfathers
The delightful humorist Erma Bombeck, who passed away some time ago, once dedicated a newspaper column to her stepfather. Being a stepfather is one of those heroic roles that rarely gets the recognition it deserves. Erma Bombeck knew that first hand, and wanted to...
Nurture vs Nature
Will the behavior you model as a dad really impact your child's personality and life choices? If your answer is yes, Judith Harris would like to debate you. "You have been led to believe that you have more of an influence on your child's personality than you really...
Single Dads: It’s a Small Club, Right?
by Patrick Batchelder You're not alone. Not by a long shot, guys. Did you know that since 1980 the number of single dads in the US has doubled to nearly 1.6 million? That's a lot of us. I'd bet the census count missed a few too. Single dads are growing 6 percent a...
Challenges for Single Custodial Dads
A few words of encouragement to single dads who have custody of their kids. In many ways, these dads can learn valuable lessons from the many single moms who have blazed the trail before them. Let’s look at a few of the challenges for you dads who are courageously...
Lessons from Two Widower Dads
Brian wrote to us and asked for help. He lost his wife in a car accident and is now left to care for his two children—a 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. Dad, if you are married, imagine what you would do—all the issues you'd have to work through: your job,...
Five Goals for Live-Away Dads
A peaceful divorce? Possibly. A pain-free divorce? That’s exceedingly rare. The adjustments for dad, mom and kids are major. William Klatte has written an insightful book called Live-Away Dads. In it, he suggests five beneficial actions you can take: goals you can...
Making the Most of Long-Distance Fathering
One summer, pitcher Terry Mulholland was selected as the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game. Mulholland planned to reject the invitation and pass up a chance to pitch in the summer classic. Why? Because Terry is also a father. He's a...
Daddy's Dream
A letter from a dad named Monty has touched on a rather challenging dilemma for the National Center for Fathering: how can we talk and write about healthy fathering when so many dads out there rarely even have the opportunity to be an effective father? Monty is a...
Wisdom from Real Dads
Do you want some expert fathering advice? Let’s turn to the real experts out there—the dads in the trenches. We put out a question to dads on our weekly e-mail. It’s a question we also ask to men who are being considered for Father of the Year in several cities across...