Patrick Hughes was born blind and with physical restrictions that keep him in a wheelchair. Can you imagine how his father must have felt? Patrick Senior often wondered, “Why us?” But then …
Become a Better Dad – One Step at a Time
Pick one fathering challenge, find a way to address it, and make some positive things happen.
A New Commitment to Encouragement
Chris told me a story that provides a great example and a new word we can all use to help us remember the importance of encouraging our kids.
6 Positive Dad-Responses to Crises & Difficulties
How we respond to difficulties or crisis situations will create a reference point that our children will remember and carry forward into the future.
Making Involvement a Priority
Our children place great value on our time and our presence. Numerous studies confirm the benefits they see when we invest in their lives.
All Dads Face Difficulties. Are You Ready?
As fathers, we can’t predict the future, but times of testing should motivate us to step up as leaders for our children and families, and be prepared as best we can.
Sign on for a Lifetime Commitment
Commitment is our calling card as fathers. It’s our resolve to always act on our child’s behalf, no matter what the hour, no matter what other pressures are competing for our time, no matter how little recognition we receive, and no matter how young or old, near or far away that child may be.
Clarify Your Vision (With Help from a Former Mob Boss)
Armin is now living every day with renewed passion for fathering and is making different decisions about what to do with his time, money, and energy now that he’s clarified his fathering vision.
COVID-19: Are you getting the message, dad?
Each father has an opportunity to learn and grow because the past several months have brought some needed clarity in certain areas.
Video: Stay Connected to Your Daughter
Rick Wertz and his daughter Amanda describe some simple but powerful ways dads and daughters can stay connected.
Rudy’s Legacy: 25 Ways to Live Out Healthy Manhood
How do you live a life that leaves a legacy? First and foremost, you need to live according to your beliefs—healthy beliefs that encompass your faith, your family, and your friends.
COVID Cabin Fever? 10 Ways to Connect with Your Kids
Taking advantage of this time to engage your kids in a new way should be considered a great victory. Here are some unexpected ways to connect with your kids.
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Welcome to the fathers.com fathering library.
4 Truths About Dads, Being Role Models, & Past Mistakes
Tristan Thompson has come to an important realization as a father. You may know him as the former NBA player who went on to be in a relationship and have children with Khloé Kardashian and make regular appearances on the Kardashians’ TV show. It’s a celebrity family...
Single Dads & Consistent Words: 5 Things to Avoid
by Matt Haviland How often do you think about the words you use? Even more: Do you understand the long-term impact that your words are having on your children? I was a single father for more than nine years, sharing parenting time with my daughter’s mom. As my...
Is Your Father an Example or a Lesson?
All fathers start out as sons. Many of us probably didn’t even think about becoming fathers until it was just a few years or months away. But once we did start imagining ourselves as fathers, the obvious and natural role models we thought of were our dads. By that...
Daughters and the Power of Listening
When dads and daughters get together and focus on each other, good things happen. We saw it over and over years ago when we hosted father-daughter events all over the country, and it’s a big reason why we’re starting them up again. We heard incredible stories of...
Fatherhood and the Waiting Game
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. If you’re a dad, you know that waiting is part of the gig. {And please note: this is a somewhat lighthearted look at fatherhood, but I don't want to minimize the very real and difficult waiting that many couples do when they're trying to...
Mars, Venus, and the ABCs of Fathering Daughters
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before. Maybe you’ve even read the book by John Gray, though it first came out more than thirty years ago. I find his book title to be fitting in...
The Power of Knowing Your Child’s Needs
How well do you know your child's developmental milestones and progress? A study at the University of Rochester discovered that about one-third (31.2%) of parents of 9-month-olds are "clueless" about child development milestones, such as when babies talk, learn right...
Dad: Communicate High Value to Your Kids
Rick and his family were out at the lake, staying in a cabin for a week, getting some well-deserved vacation time. One morning they were getting ready to go fishing, and Rick was walking along the dock toward the boat with his arms full of gear. He stumbled on a loose...
A Public Commitment to Fatherhood
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Some years back, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal set out to write a story that she believed would really impact her readers. She wanted to interview a CEO of a publicly traded company who was committed to his family and actively involved...
Summer and Free Time
Ahh, the sounds of summer. No, this isn't about the crack of the bat, or fireworks, or even the sizzle of the barbecue. This is about the droning whines of your offspring. Maybe this summer you've heard statements like: “Dad, There’s nothing to do around...
Military Dads & the Price of Freedom
A few years ago, one of our staff had the chance to talk to an active military dad during an airport layover. Jim, an officer in the Air Force, had been away from his wife and kids for four months, and he had missed Christmas with them for the second time. It was...
4 Things I Learned as a Single Father
by Matt Haviland I was a single father for almost a decade. They were challenging years, but looking back I realize that some of my hardest moments taught me the greatest lessons. That doesn’t mean everything got easier as time went on, or that I achieved some level...