by Dr. Ken Canfield Hey, dad, what are you giving your wife this year for Valentine’s Day? Ideally, you have plans well under way, but knowing how many men typically operate, consider this your one-week reminder. I encourage you to pool all your creative energies for...
Important Work-Family Questions for All Dads
“What’s really important?” “Are we working hard but going in the wrong direction?” “Who’s raising our kids?” “What is success?”
Work or Family: Where Are You Indispensable, Dad?
We shouldn’t feel guilty for being committed to our jobs, but all dads should continue to ask themselves, Where am I most indispensable?
Just Have a Good Time NOW. (See Video)
This short but powerful video "Dad & Me" was contributed to us by Vincenzo Giovannini, who wrote the screenplay. He wrote about this project: We wanted to bring awareness to the importance of being part of your child's life. As technology has progressed and has...
5 Tips to Balance Being Dad
One of the most important things a dad has to learn is balance- balancing work, friends and extracurricular activities with being a husband and father. Here are NCF's top 5 Tips to Balance Being Dad in our weekly Tools for the Journey!
Priorities vs. Lifestyle, and a Really Cool Machine
by Jon Alexander A few years ago, a drawing by my 4-year-old daughter sparked a conversation that would spawn an app, start a business and begin reconciling our lifestyle with our priorities. (See the video below for more on the story.) For most of my professional...
5 Tips for Dads Who Travel
Are you a dad who travels for work? Download our FREE Tools for the Journey: 5 Tips for Dads Who Travel! Five Tips for Dads Who Travel
A 10-Year-Old’s List Becomes a Daddy Wake-Up Call
Have you heard of Mohamed El-Erian? He’s a multimillionaire. Until May 2013, he was chief executive of the PIMCO investment fund, one of the largest in the world. His annual earnings were estimated to be more than $100 million. Why did Mr. El-Erian step down from such...
Job / Life Satisfaction – Cinderella Man
Our role as providers for our families weighs heavily on us at times—especially when work is scarce.
Are you doing your ‘fair share’ at home?
1,200 married moms were polled about their parenting habits, focusing on how they share responsibilities with their spouses. The headline was an attention-grabber: “Working and Stay-at-Home Mothers Feel Like ‘Married Single Moms.'”
“Dear Daddy” Video: A Priority Wake-Up Call
Imagine that today you're reading a letter from your child, only it's ten or fifteen years in the future and your child is a young adult. What would he or she write to you? If you had the benefit of those insights about your relationship, would it change anything you do as a father today?
5 Daily Steps to Balance Work and Family
In today's world, one of the most common and urgent needs among fathers is tips for managing their time. The ability to do this is a key to success at work and with your family, and the beginning of a new year might be a great time to start some new habits in this area.
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Welcome to the fathers.com fathering library.
Keep Using Your Unique, Mysterious Secrets with Your Kids
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Last week’s blog provided you with “dad hacks” that some fathers use to make their lives easier and connect with their kids. I trust at least some of them were helpful to you or at least caused you to do some deeper thinking or brainstorming. It...
Dad Hacks: Use These, Share Yours
Many of our best insights here at NCF are research-based. We often talk about the I-CANs or the 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers, and much of what you’ll see at fathers.com is based on those frameworks and the fathering practices associated with them. We also regularly...
Three Responsibilities of a Father
by Jeff Hamilton, founder of Dad Academy® The responsibilities of being a father are more than just what you are able to provide financially or support emotionally. Research proves the importance of a father’s presence in a child’s life. Beyond being present, a...
Fit Fatherhood: Inspiring a Healthy Lifestyle for Our Kids
Disclaimer: At fathers.com, we are not fitness experts. It isn't our main focus or calling. However, maybe a lot of us would benefit from occasional reminders about taking our physical well-being seriously as dads. Of course, good health may not be the most important...
Single Fathers: 3 Do’s and 2 Don’ts
by Matt Haviland Early in my years as a single father, I was invited by another man at work to join a small group of guys he was hosting. Immediately I felt out of place: I was the youngest guy in the group, I was the only single father, and compared to the other...
Back to School: Embrace Your Role as a Dad
Maybe your kids just started school a few days ago, or maybe where you are they start in the coming weeks. It’s a big deal for them, and it impacts the entire family. For kids, a new school year means new teachers, new classrooms, and new responsibilities. Sometimes...
Know When to Pick Your Battles, Dad
by Jay Payleitner Our kids were not fussy eaters. But one of them really, really didn’t like asparagus. Actually, none of the kids liked asparagus. But during one particular dinner, that one particular 8-year-old let it be known that there was no way he was going to...
The Myth of Quality Time
Dad: how are you doing creating quality time with your kids? For many years parents have used that phrase when referring to their best intentions with their children: spending quality time with them. Through the years there have also been pro-fatherhood campaigns that...
Connecting Through Fashion: Understanding Your Daughter’s Unique Style
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Dad, you’ve surely noticed some things about your daughter that you may never fully understand, often due to the built-in differences between male and female. And as a committed and dialed-in GirlDad, part of connecting with your...
Walking with Your Kids Through Tragedies
Our world—and here in the U.S., our nation—has endured another tragedy in last weekend’s assassination attempt and the death or injury of bystanders. You’ve probably heard and seen a lot about it, and details will continue to emerge. Sadly, this is one more incident...
4 Habits of Dads Who GET IT
Do you get it dad? Are you actively doing the habits associated with great fathering? Here at fathers.com, we put a lot of stock in empirical research about fathering. Much of our research is quantitative: social science data that can be measured, categorized and...
A Summer Fun Checklist for Dads
by Dr. Ken Canfield Happy 4th, dads! I hope you’re able to enjoy a long weekend celebrating our nation’s freedom (if you’re in the U.S.). There are many good reasons to look forward to Independence Day, and I hope you go all out with celebrating and enjoying time with...