Your children will mature and be shaped in incredible ways over the coming months, and your involvement can help set them up for success.
Intentional, Joy-Filled Fathering
Joy should be an everyday habit and should continue to be evident through the entire course of our fathering lives.
Effective Fathering for a New Generation
Dr. Ken looks at his research-based 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers and how they have changed through the years.
Dads and Fast-Food Modeling
A research study reveals an interesting way dads influence their kids — and maybe an area where we need to step up as fathers.
“Dad, I Wish We Could Talk About ________”
A group of teenagers provides insights into topics they wish they could talk about with their dads.
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.
Divorced Dads: Two Thoughts to Keep in Mind
Quite a few divorced dads go through periods where they don’t get to interact much with their kids. Here are 2 thoughts to keep in mind.
Fathering and Our Kids’ “Unalienable Rights”
Suggestions for ways dads can regularly invest in their kids based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
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.
Father’s Day: Redefining Your Role
Recommit yourself to fatherhood as a verb. The position of father is an honorable one, but don’t rest on that. Be a dad of action.
Honor Your Dad Like a 5th Grader
Your children may honor you on Father’s Day. And you can do something similar for your dad or a significant father figure.
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.
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...
Divorced Dads: Two Thoughts to Keep in Mind
“When people ask me about my father, I tell them I don’t have one.” That’s what one boy said after his parents divorced. Mike is that dad, and he told us those words cut him to the heart. A few years back, he moved to another state to pursue better work opportunities,...
Fathering and Our Kids’ “Unalienable Rights”
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As those of us in the U.S. celebrate another year in our...
4 Ways to Be a More Committed Dad
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. We all celebrated fathers and fatherhood last week, and I hope you were able to enjoy some time with your family. I hope they honored you in a meaningful way. Did you spend any time reflecting on your fathering role? It seems like a natural...