Children need guidance about right and wrong and why it matters. As dads, it’s our job to equip our kids to prepare our kids for life.
Kids Need a Dad Who Loves (or Respects) Their Mom
Doing our job well as fathers requires some teamwork—and the most common, most important partner is our children’s mother.
3 Questions for Dads on Providing for Your Family
Providing is still an important aspect of fathering, and we all need to do our best while keeping it in proper perspective.
Protecting Our Kids: Body, Mind and Heart
It’s a traditional fathering role that’s still very important. But how does protecting our children look in today’s world?
Dad: Live Out an Unwavering Commitment
Commitment is the #1 secret that sets highly effective fathers apart from others. It helps you persevere through difficulties and find ways to be there for your kids.
New Year, Better Dad
If you’re serious about being the dad your children need, then you’ll want to start the year with a targeted plan. Our new resource will help.
“I’m Proud of You Because …”
Many of us notice our kids’ positive qualities and accomplishments, but we put words to our pride far too seldom. Here are 3 steps to take.
Give Yourself for Christmas
It’s all about time together—being available to your kids, giving them your full attention, and making some great memories with them.
11 Things That Make Your Family Special
These activities have “family time” written all over them. They strengthen bonds, provide important reference points, and create memories.
Where Are You as a Father?
As dads, we shouldn’t be backtracking and wasting time going in the wrong direction, especially when there’s a reliable “fathering GPS.”
Dad, do you shirk discipline?
When kids misbehave, why do some dads leave it for Mom to handle? As dads, we need to sign up for the entire role of being a father.
4 Qualities of Growing Dads
Great dads learn that humility and commitment are more important than having the right answers. They learn from mistakes and grow through the tough times.
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.
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...
Dad Jokes: A Celebration
by Brock Griffin What’s the deal with dad jokes? Why are fathers, some of the most vital contributors to healthy families and communities, associated with humor like this ...? I was wondering why the frisbee kept getting bigger and bigger. Then it hit me....
Dad Tucks In
by Jay Payleitner Statistically, moms spend more time with kids than dads. To counter that inequity, let’s just make a rule. Whenever possible, Dad tucks in. The benefits are many. Mom gets a break. Dad gets a clear assignment that he can check off his...
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...