When you appreciate your wife, you let your children know that your marriage is important, and you set a great example for them.
Ways to Honor Mom – the Real MVP
Have you and your kids been busy making plans and arrangements to make Sunday a special day? Mother's Day is an opportunity to honor one of the most important contributors within the family: our mothers and our children’s mothers. You’ve probably heard calculations...
Moms: You can help your child’s father be a better dad
Research found that moms have a strong influence on dads’ childcare efforts. When a mom praises a dad’s efforts, he often takes a more active parenting role.
3 Ways to Really Be There for Your Wife
Do you have thoughtful, creative plans in place for Valentine’s Day? Some guys go all out for it: “This is one more opportunity to demonstrate how much I love her, and I’m making the most of it.” Others practically boycott the holiday: “It’s just a trumped-up excuse...
Do you “get it” when it comes to being a father?
When we hear a dad mention certain fathering habits or topics, we know that guy is really tuned in to his role.
Your Relationship to Your Child’s Mother – Reflections from When Harry Met Sally
Older couples talk about their memories and lives together. (A nice feature from the movie that not many people probably remember.)
Your Relationship to Your Child’s Mother: “Dancing in the Minefields”
Music video of the song by Andrew Peterson. “It was harder than we dreamed, but I believe that’s what the promise is for.”
Video / Your Relationship to Your Child’s Mother – Fireproof: Salt and Pepper
An object lesson about being committed to your spouse “for better or for worse ...” Do you need to recapture that sense of lifelong commitment in your marriage?
The Dad/Mom Team and Partnership Video – Everybody Loves Raymond
At its best, parenting is a partnership, where mom and dad work together to bring about what’s best for the kids ...
Video / Your Relationship to Your Child’s Mother – Fireproof: Fight Scene
Does this scene ring true in your marriage? Marriage is difficult. It’s made up of two very different people who don’t always see eye-to-eye. It takes a lot of work and sacrifice! But it’s worth working on—for yourself and for your children.
Your Job Description: Defining What it Means to Be a Dad
At no time do we feel the need to figure out how to be a dad more than when we first become fathers. What about a job description for dads?
Six Tips for Husbands on Valentine’s Day (Including One that’s “Naughty”)
Ideas from Jay Payleitner: “Buying a last-minute gift is naughty, and not in the good way. It tells your wife that you don’t consider her as a high priority.”
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...