As I “mature” as a dad and granddad, I’m more and more aware that my time is limited, and I want to do all I can to leave a strong legacy.
Game Time! Have a FUN Family Christmas
The holidays should be fun! Don’t settle for less. Organize activities that everyone can participate in and enjoy.
3 Fathering Insights from Joseph
Jeff Zaugg: Sometimes our dreams and expectations fall flat, and we can all learn from the dad in the Christmas story.
Perfume Day: A Powerful Dad-Daughter Holiday Tradition
Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield: Why not adopt a new tradition and create lasting memories of positive interaction with your daughter?
What’s Your Plan for the Holidays, Dad?
Think of thanksgiving as a test or a warm-up, dad. Start planning how you’ll be fully engaged during the Christmas season with your family.
3 Ways Dads Can Be Intentional on Thanksgiving
Jay Payleitner: If the days are moving too quickly, that’s all the more reason to approach the holidays with thoughtfulness & purpose.
Dad Tucks In
by Jay Payleitner: The benefits are many. Mom gets a break. Dad gets a clear assignment and a daily chance to spend one-on-one time.
4 Truths About Dads, Being Role Models, & Past Mistakes
Having children and trying to raise them to be responsible people should make us look more closely at ourselves.
Is Your Father an Example or a Lesson?
Whether our dads were mostly positive or negative in our lives, they have a profound impact on how we father our kids.
Fatherhood and the Waiting Game
Waiting on our kids isn’t fun. But being there shows them over and over that they are worth our time, effort, patience, and perseverance.
Dad: Communicate High Value to Your Kids
We dads too easily let our cell phones, our work schedules or even our hobbies rule our lives at the expense of investing in our children.
A Public Commitment to Fatherhood
Be a model of committed fathering—not perfect, but always looking to improve and grow. Be unashamed about your desire to succeed as dad.
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.
New Dad Feels: Enthusiasm and Cost
For most men, being a new father ignites some new feelings that don't really come from any other experiences in life. Maybe you're a new dad who is in the middle of this, maybe these thoughts will bring back some fond memories, or maybe you're preparing to be a...
Let’s TALK: 4 Keys to Connecting with Your Daughter
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Dad, there’s something important you need to know about your daughter. Here it is, short and to the point: When a girl or woman knows and feels she is loved by her dad, she will have: greater confidence stronger inner fortitude...
What Makes Your Child Laugh?
As a father, it's good if you actively observe April Fool's Day—not by playing cruel tricks on your children, but by celebrating those relationships with lots of laughter. Victor Borge said, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." You already...
Dad: Your Faith Matters to Your Kids
Holy Week is a great time to remind and challenge you about one of the most profound ways you can influence your children—in faith and spiritual matters. There’s a wide range of approaches to faith, just like there are many different traditions for the Easter holiday....
Encouraging Our Daughters
Psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers recalls the spirited discussions around the family dinner table she had when she was growing up. Their family discussed politics, world events and other goings-on of the day. One day, the topic was President Roosevelt’s attempt to...
When Your Daughter “Becomes a Woman”
What are some needed strategies for us dads to how to navigate life with our daughter when she starts her monthly cycle? You have to admit it’s foreign territory for a dad. In a nutshell, I recommended that you not make a big deal out of it, but continue to show your...
Mature Conversations With Your Daughter
A dad named Allan wrote to me, not asking should I teach my daughter about sex, but how should I? You see, he’s a single dad. And, he’s wondering, should I find a woman to talk to her? I commend Allan for recognizing the importance of this area of his daughter’s life....
Take Your Daughter to Work
I’m reminded of one father who instilled the value of hard work into his daughter. Harry regularly took his daughter Demi to work with him, where she learned the value of hard work, honesty, and generosity. When she grew older, she went to work for him every day, and...
Purity Conversations With Your Daughter
In a world that is sexually spinning out of control, what can we do to protect and support our daughters in this caustic environment? Now, we know that girls are wired uniquely different than boys. Where boys may be lured in more by the visual temptation, it’s the...
Reflection Dad / Lunch with Daughter
teve had an important lunch appointment. He had traveled several hundred miles, and he was more than a little nervous. But this meeting wasn’t to cut some business deal. It was to start a new relationship. His luncheon partner was his daughter. Michelle had left home...
Daughters and “the Gender War”
by Dr. Ken Canfield Some time ago, I spent a week in the mountains with my daughter Sarah on a father-daughter retreat. For me, it was a cleansing, refreshing time; for Sarah, it was a time of empowerment and blessing to be all God meant her to be. That week...
Daughters and “The Real Thing”
How would you train someone to spot a counterfeit bill? Well, you’d probably make them aware of the common methods of copying the original, and you’d point out telltale signs of fakery. But most of all, you’d want that person to be very, very familiar with the real...