A research study reveals an interesting way dads influence their kids — and maybe an area where we need to step up as fathers.
7 Life Lessons One Dad Learned From His Kids
by Joshua Becker: Children add joy, purpose, and fulfillment to our lives. And given the chance, they will teach us valuable life lessons.
Fatherhood, Money & Providing for Your Family
Financial issues bring meaningful opportunities to the fathering role; our task is to make the most of those opportunities.
6 Ways Dads Can Prepare Their Kids for College, Starting Now
What are the keys to your child’s college success? One big key is you, dad. Author and sociology professor W. Bradford Wilcox wrote about this for The Atlantic. He wrote: “I find that young adults who as teens had involved fathers are significantly more...
Ways to Teach Children about Saving Money
"My son is beginning college in only 3 years!" "My daughter is getting married next spring!" "My son and daughter need a car to drive!"
Does Your Child Think Money Grows on Trees?
I face a daunting challenge whenever I take one or more of my daughters to the grocery store. I'm sure you've experienced it, too. "Daddy, can I have one of those?" "Daddy, will you get this for me?"
Helping Kids Distinguish Between Needs and Wants
The Luxury Marketing Council of Florida says that luxury spending has seen an annual growth of 20-30%, where general retail spending has seen an increase of 5%. One Encarta Dictionary definition of luxury is "an item that is desirable but not essential, and often expensive or hard to get." Translation: needs are up 5% per year, and wants are up 20-30%!
3 Tips for Talking to Kids about Money Challenges
In today's economy, we're bombarded with all kinds of messages, and chances are your kids have heard some of the doom and gloom news as well. They're probably wondering, How's that affecting our family?
Family Financial Planning for Happy Holidays
Many kids have parents convinced that life will just be a bust without the latest video game or hottest cell phone. With the recession looming large though, parents are struggling to shelter the children from their financial and employment woes, yet bestow upon them a memorable Christmas.
Dollars and Sense: Teaching Your Children About Money
There are a variety of things we will leave to our children when we are gone. Many of you probably think immediately of the money you'll leave behind. I wouldn't place money itself as the most important inheritance you'll give to your children—but the skills and values involved in handling money and using it wisely are certainly among the greatest gifts you can give them. Like water to the earth, money can either nourish or destroy, depending upon how it is directed.
Teaching Kids About Money
Do your kids think money grows on trees?
Before your kids are gainfully employed, it may not seem vital to teach them about money. But, all you have to do is think about how our society seems to revolve around money and you realize that you can never start too early.
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.
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...
Dad, Help Prepare Your Kids for the School Year—Here’s How
Getting ready to go back to school impacts the entire family... For kids, a new school year means new teachers, new classrooms, and possibly new responsibilities. Sometimes it means new friends. The first days at a new school—or first days in middle school or high...
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...
9 Ways to Leap Beyond Father’s Day to Dad Awesome Day
by Jeff Zaugg I’ll never forget the joy that swelled up inside my 9-year-old heart as I watched my dad leap into a swimming pool from a raised perch in front of hundreds of cheering cruise ship passengers. It was the biggest event of the four-day cruise: the Belly...