Dr. Ken looks at his research-based 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers and how they have changed through the years.
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.
Be an Overcomer Dad: Demonstrate Everyday Commitment
Many heroic dads are struggling or striving because of a tough situation, and yet they’re determined to do what’s best for their kids.
Randy Pausch & a Legacy of Lasting Value
As he approached the end of his life, Randy Pausch tried to put himself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for his children.
Don’t Get Caught in the Tomorrow Trap
Dads work hard to provide for their families into the future, but so often it backfires as their relationships wither away in the meantime.
Legacy & the Test of Time: How do you want to be remembered?
No matter how old your children are, you can’t start asking these questions too soon or revisiting them too often.
Be Joyfully, Expectantly Inconvenienced
By Peter Lewis: Hope for, wait for, eagerly anticipate, even relish the joyful intrusion of your children into your life.
Recognize the Importance of Being Present
How to Be a Better Dad by David Hirsch: Kids want our time and attention and involvement, and we need to be intentional in these 4 areas.
The Very Best of Fatherhood
Three excerpts from kids’ essays highlight fathering commitment and the value of little things we do as dads.
View Each Day as an Opportunity
How to Be a Better Dad by Matt Haviland: I push myself to be a better dad by taking it one day at a time and learning as I go.
Be Intentional About Legacy
Leaving a legacy is about thinking beyond today, but being purposeful about today. Investments in your kids will have an impact for years to come.
Categories
Welcome to the fathers.com fathering library.
Tension with Our Kids’ Mom Deeply Affects Our Fathering
When there’s tension with your child’s mother, it impacts everyone. That might be an odd message to convey so soon after Valentine’s Day, but we all know what real life is like all the other days of the year that aren’t our anniversary or a special date night. And for...
A Dozen Activities to Help You Win Your Daughter’s Heart
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, here’s a reminder that the holiday isn’t reserved only for romance between sweethearts. It’s also an opportunity for a girl to be treated in an extra special way by her dad, thus...
Winning and Losing in Father-Child Contests
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Bob’s two teenage sons were challenging him in many ways physically—arm twisting and wrestling and so on—and they talked about racing him to see if they were faster. It leads to a common question for dads: What’s the impact of winning or losing...
One Way to Restore Hope to Your Fathering
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. What keeps a dad motivated and hopeful? That’s a key question that I’ve been pondering and researching for some time, and I’ll have more on this in the coming weeks and months. I’m more and more convinced of this: Hope is a powerful force and...
Birthday Reflections: A Father’s Legacy
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. I recently gathered with many of my children and grandchildren to celebrate a birthday: my 70th. It was a wonderful and sometimes wild time together. During the days before that celebration, I came up with a sheet of reflections that I handed...
Game Time! Have a FUN Family Christmas
Are there gamers in your family? Actually this isn’t the kind of gaming you’re probably thinking of. And it has very little (if anything) to do with phones, computers or keyboards (unless you come up with one that involves a piano). This is about playing games with...
3 Fathering Insights from Joseph
by Jeff Zaugg Have you ever had dreams or expectations that fell flat or didn’t materialize the way you hoped? That happened to my family and me a few years ago when we were on an RV trip in Texas. We had plans to spend a few days at a lake that looked beautiful on...
Perfume Day: A Powerful Dad-Daughter Holiday Tradition
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Per·fume [pərˌfyo͞om] · a fragrant liquid typically made from essential oils extracted from flowers and spices, used to impart a pleasant smell to one's body or clothes. Day [dā/] · a period of twenty-four hours as a unit of time;...
What’s Your Plan for the Holidays, Dad?
It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and in case you didn't know it, dad, last week was a test—or maybe a warm-up. How did you do? It’s good to ask yourself questions like: “Did I help make the celebration all it could be? Or did I just kind of show up and let things...
A Year-End Message from Dr. Ken Canfield
Dad: Please watch this short video and then keep reading below for a year-end update and request from me ... https://youtu.be/1jYUmQOTfEg Dads: This is an exciting time of the year. I love the Christmas season for many reasons. It's also a time to reflect and take...
3 Ways Dads Can Be Intentional on Thanksgiving
by Jay Payleitner Thanksgiving? Already? If the days are moving too quickly, that's all the more reason to approach the holidays with thoughtfulness and intentionality. I do hope you're feeling grateful. Even if you've had a tough year,...
5 Things Single Dads Should Do Consistently
by Matt Haviland As a father, I try to operate with the ever-present knowledge that my words matter, and often more than I realize. Of course, that isn’t easy; we all say things that are careless and insensitive sometimes. And often the challenges increase when you...