“Fine.” That’s probably the answer you’re used to getting after school or at the dinner table when you ask “How was your day?” or “How was school today?”
Dropping Your Child Off At College
This is the year, the year your kid goes off to college. How is it already time? It feels like they were just an infant yesterday! Dropping your kid off at college is an exciting, but hard time. So here are our tips to help you get through the day dad. Check out NCF's...
Top Ways to Be a Successful Home-Schooling Dad
by David Serwitz All dads should be very involved in their kids' education. However, each family is different, and a growing number of families are taking full control of their kids' education by teaching them at home. The home-schooling movement has gained traction...
Ways to be Engaged in Your Child’s Education
Straight from our new, FREE downloadable Back to School Kit! Here are 17 of the 35 Ways to be Engaged in Your Child's Education! Don't sit back and watch this school year, be involved in your child's education! Children thrive at school when dads step up to the plate....
10 Tips for Creating a Study-Friendly Home
Back to school dad! Don't leave your child's education solely to the teachers dad! You should be supporting from home (and in school through WATCH D.O.G.S.) Use NCF's 10 Tips for Creating a Study Friendly Home and help your child be at the top of their class! Be on...
How to Make the Most of Teachable Moments
Parents seem to talk a lot about teachable moments—using situations that come our way to talk about life lessons with our kids. But how does it actually work? Not long ago we received a great example from a dad named Scott. He was out on a daddy-daughter date with his...
Talk to Your Child (Especially Your Toddler)
Recent research found that talking is very important for helping to jump-start a little one’s brain. Those early years are critical for a child’s language development.
Appreciate Your Kids’ Teachers
by Eric Snow As an involved father, you are one of your child’s first teachers, and you’re on the job as soon as the baby is born. You coo and cuddle him and shake objects in front of him to help him learn to focus and respond. You help in teaching him to take a...
5 Ways to Support Your Student During Finals Week
Finals week can be stressful for a student! But you as a dad can help by doing a few simple things to let them know you care and you believe in them.
10 Ways to Support Creativity In Your Kids
Creativity fosters self-expression and nurtures emotional and mental health. It helps children express and deal with their feelings as well as provides an opportunity for trying new ideas and problem solving. Dad- you're an important part of the creative process! Make...
12 Ways to Dedicate Time to Your Child’s Education – by NCF Dads like you!
Our children’s education is so incredibly important. And our dedication to our children’s education can help them succeed.
Six Ways to be Your Child's Cheerleader
We all want our children to find a passion in life and excel — and we want to be there to cheer them in ways that truly encourage & affirm.
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.
A Script for Your Call with Dad on Father’s Day (Or Any Day)
by Jay Payleitner Traditionally, Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for phone calls. So where does that leave dads on Father’s Day? Well, maybe fewer calls are made because talking with the old man is more frustrating than talking with mom. Too often...
Each Child Is Different! 3 Important Truths for Dads
Each of your children is unique and special. You had your first baby and had the incredible privilege of relating to and learning about that one for a few years. Then a second one came along, and that child was totally different in hundreds of ways. Maybe you had some...
Important Father-Child Interviews
Dad: are you ever confused or frustrated as you try to figure out what makes your kids tick? One of the key fundamentals of fathering is Awareness of our children—simply getting to know them better. As dads, we should make it our mission to gain insight into who they...
Mother’s Day: Tips for Dads to Honor Moms
Dad: you have some remarkable women in your life—your mother and your kids’ mom. And you can play a big role in making Mother's Day truly memorable for them. Ideally, you would already have some plans in place by now. Maybe you have thought through what she...
What Dads of Daughters Need to Know in 3 Words
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Dads: In the past few weeks I’ve had a 47-second video go viral, with nearly 2.6 million views and counting on Instagram! (And honestly, I suspect a good number of the views, likes and shares are coming from daughters and wives...
Being a Committed Dad is “Far Past Amazing”
For many years, our staff had opportunities to read children's essays about their dads, and then interview some of the dads related to our Father of the Year Essay Contests. The contests gave kids opportunities to write about their dads, and we were always amazed at...
Young Kids & Behavior Issues: Mean What You Say
Darren is a frustrated father of a two-year-old. You might be thinking, Yeah, so? That’s normal. In many ways, it is normal, and it’s easy to understand why parents came up with the phrase, “terrible twos.” Many young children go through that phase where they need to...
Dad: Look Below the Surface
When was the last time you were surprised by your own impatience or insensitivity? Maybe you were in a store or a restaurant and the people on duty were not very attentive to your needs. The situation dragged on long enough to make you pretty frustrated—you deserved...
Your Fathering Journey in 6 Stages
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Once a father, always a father. That simple truth reveals that fathering is a process that lasts from the birth or adoption of your first child until the day you die. And really, we could say it begins when you start preparing for fatherhood....
A Gift for Your Ten-Year-Old
by Jay Payleitner There are a ton of things you take for granted that would be empowering to a ten-year-old son or daughter. That includes stuff you learned so long ago that you don’t even know you know. Examples? How to reset the circuit breakers. How to shut off...
Don’t Miss the Good Stuff
Has springtime arrived for you yet, dad? During the past few weeks, we turned our clocks back for Daylight Savings (at least most of us did), we’re enjoying tournament basketball and all its madness, and this week came the first day of spring. Maybe that isn’t a big...
“I Want to Know About Fatherhood”
A few years back, we received an e-mail from a man who isn’t a father and doesn’t want children, but his wife does. Here’s what he wrote: I want to know more about fatherhood. Most of what I read says that I’ll learn to love poopy diapers, sleepless nights, constant...