Sometimes you’ll get lucky and have great success by going with your gut. But since you want to give your kids the very best, it makes a lot of sense to look outside for help.
25 Fall Family Activities
We LOVE fall here at NCF. Why? Because it is a great season to spend with family! There are so many different fall activities to do that are sure to create lasting memories for both you and your kids. Here are 25 Fall Family Activities we suggest you try this year! Do...
Store Up Genius Points as a Dad
by Jay Payleitner As my beloved Cubs surprisingly chase a playoff spot, my mind drifts back to a summer day at Wrigley, circa 1967. I was nine years old. It was the annual Payleitner pilgrimage to the shrine at Clark and Addison. When I was growing up, my dad made...
10 Things to Teach Your Daughter
Dad, you're an influential person in your daughter's life. Make sure you teach her the most important things that she needs to know before she grows up. Teach your daughter to love herself. Teach your daughter to change her oil. Teach your daughter respect. See what...
Some Homework for YOU, Dad
Knowing your child well in different areas — and that definitely includes education — helps you better serve his or her needs.
Questions to Ask Your Kids After School
“Fine.” That’s probably the answer you’re used to getting after school or at the dinner table when you ask “How was your day?” or “How was school today?”
Ways to be Engaged in Your Child’s Education
Straight from our new, FREE downloadable Back to School Kit! Here are 17 of the 35 Ways to be Engaged in Your Child's Education! Don't sit back and watch this school year, be involved in your child's education! Children thrive at school when dads step up to the plate....
10 Tips for Creating a Study-Friendly Home
Back to school dad! Don't leave your child's education solely to the teachers dad! You should be supporting from home (and in school through WATCH D.O.G.S.) Use NCF's 10 Tips for Creating a Study Friendly Home and help your child be at the top of their class! Be on...
The Power of Words and “Because I said so”
Many times, the message we’re trying to get across to a child isn’t bad; the harmful part is more about the words we choose and our tone of voice
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...
Be the House Jester: Finding the Funny in Fatherhood
Sometimes situations with your kids call for a jester to save the moment—and that’s where you come in.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Connect with Your Kids
That word “engage” has transformed who I am as a father. I keep fighting off selfishness and the desire to go back to the Comfort Zone.
Categories
Welcome to the fathers.com fathering library.
Tension with Our Kids’ Mom Deeply Affects Our Fathering
When there’s tension with your child’s mother, it impacts everyone. That might be an odd message to convey so soon after Valentine’s Day, but we all know what real life is like all the other days of the year that aren’t our anniversary or a special date night. And for...
A Dozen Activities to Help You Win Your Daughter’s Heart
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, here’s a reminder that the holiday isn’t reserved only for romance between sweethearts. It’s also an opportunity for a girl to be treated in an extra special way by her dad, thus...
Winning and Losing in Father-Child Contests
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Bob’s two teenage sons were challenging him in many ways physically—arm twisting and wrestling and so on—and they talked about racing him to see if they were faster. It leads to a common question for dads: What’s the impact of winning or losing...
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...