As your son grows up, no matter who enters into his life you are his main influence. Make sure you are filling that role! While we think he needs a lot more, these are our "starter" 10 Things Your Son Needs From You.
How to Make the Most of Teachable Moments
Parents seem to talk a lot about teachable moments—using situations that come our way to talk about life lessons with our kids. But how does it actually work? Not long ago we received a great example from a dad named Scott. He was out on a daddy-daughter date with his...
10 Ways to Date Your Daughter
Dad, taking your daughter on dates is one of the most important things you can do for her. These dates can shape the way that she will expect to be treated on dates when she is older. What example are you setting? Here are NCF's 10 Ways to "Date Your Daughter". Make...
Just Be Yourself, Dad
Lydia, a 10th grader, writes about her dad and demonstrates that sometimes the unexpected times together are the ones kids remember the most.
Just Be WITH Your Kids
Often, a great way to get to the hearts of dads is to share words from kids. Here’s one perspective from Myles, a 4th grader.
16 Things to NEVER Say to Your Kids
Have you ever said one of these to your kids? Dads, our words have power to tear down or build up. We can learn better ways to get the message across.
Just Improve 1%: 4 Ways to Be a Better Dad TODAY
by Justin Ricklefs This past year, 8 or 10 of us mid-30’s to mid-40’s type friends have started playing pick up basketball at 5:30 a.m. at our high school alma mater. It’s been a day I’ve looked forward to each week, a great start to my Thursday morning. But in the...
3 Tips for Dads of “Haughty” Teens
It isn’t that teens have lost their minds, or gone berserk. They’re really just figuring out what life is all about, testing what they’ve learned from Dad and Mom.
Be a Dream-Builder: The Importance of Believing in Your Kids
Jeff Jenkins: “As your children dream those big, seemingly unrealistic dreams, make sure you support them and encourage them.”
5 Ways to Support Your Student During Finals Week
Finals week can be stressful for a student! But you as a dad can help by doing a few simple things to let them know you care and you believe in them.
Shape Honesty: 1 Way to Train your Child in Integrity
When I learned that my son had lied to me, I thought about confronting him, but I was afraid that approach might not help him learn from the situation. So, here are the principles I tried:
9 Ways to Navigate Communication with Your Son
There are times in your journey that you may find it difficult to navigate communication with your son for one reason or another. Here are NCF's 9 Ways to Navigate Communication with Your Son to help guide you through those 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.
Single Dads & Consistent Words: 5 Things to Avoid
by Matt Haviland Is it possible to be a great father as a single dad? The short answer is, “Absolutely!” However, since being a single parent brings a variety of outside factors and dynamics, we may have to take a slightly different approach. It will surely look...
Is Your Father an Example or a Lesson?
All fathers start out as sons. Many of us probably didn’t even think about becoming fathers until it was just a few years or months away. But once we did start imagining ourselves as fathers, the obvious and natural role models we thought of were our dads. By that...
Daughters and the Power of Listening
When dads and daughters get together and focus on each other, good things happen. We saw it over and over years ago when we hosted father-daughter events all over the country, and it’s a big reason why we’re starting them up again. We heard incredible stories of...
Fatherhood and the Waiting Game
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. If you’re a dad, you know that waiting is part of the gig. {And please note: this is a somewhat lighthearted look at fatherhood, but I don't want to minimize the very real and difficult waiting that many couples do when they're trying to...
Mars, Venus, and the ABCs of Fathering Daughters
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before. Maybe you’ve even read the book by John Gray, though it first came out more than thirty years ago. I find his book title to be fitting in...
The Power of Knowing Your Child’s Needs
How well do you know your child's developmental milestones and progress? A study at the University of Rochester discovered that about one-third (31.2%) of parents of 9-month-olds are "clueless" about child development milestones, such as when babies talk, learn right...
Dad: Communicate High Value to Your Kids
Rick and his family were out at the lake, staying in a cabin for a week, getting some well-deserved vacation time. One morning they were getting ready to go fishing, and Rick was walking along the dock toward the boat with his arms full of gear. He stumbled on a loose...
A Public Commitment to Fatherhood
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Some years back, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal set out to write a story that she believed would really impact her readers. She wanted to interview a CEO of a publicly traded company who was committed to his family and actively involved...
Summer and Free Time
Ahh, the sounds of summer. No, this isn't about the crack of the bat, or fireworks, or even the sizzle of the barbecue. This is about the droning whines of your offspring. Maybe this summer you've heard statements like: “Dad, There’s nothing to do around...
Military Dads & the Price of Freedom
A few years ago, one of our staff had the chance to talk to an active military dad during an airport layover. Jim, an officer in the Air Force, had been away from his wife and kids for four months, and he had missed Christmas with them for the second time. It was...
4 Things I Learned as a Single Father
by Matt Haviland I was a single father for almost a decade. They were challenging years, but looking back I realize that some of my hardest moments taught me the greatest lessons. That doesn’t mean everything got easier as time went on, or that I achieved some level...
9 Ways to Leap Beyond Father’s Day to Dad Awesome Day
by Jeff Zaugg I’ll never forget the joy that swelled up inside my 9-year-old heart as I watched my dad leap into a swimming pool from a raised perch in front of hundreds of cheering cruise ship passengers. It was the biggest event of the four-day cruise: the Belly...