Are the holidays often stressful for you as a single dad? Matt Haviland provides 5 suggestions to help you have holidays that are OK … and better.

Are the holidays often stressful for you as a single dad? Matt Haviland provides 5 suggestions to help you have holidays that are OK … and better.
From Matt Haviland: No matter what your specific challenges may be as a single father, these five foundational principles will prove helpful.
We aren’t alone in this fathering task. Disagreements with our children’s mother can’t help but spill over into how we relate to our kids.
All dads feel hopeless sometimes, and a great way to become a positive, confident father might seem simple, but it definitely isn’t easy.
From Matt Haviland: We all say things that are insensitive sometimes. Here are ways to be more affirming with our kids and others.
From Matt Haviland: Do you understand the long-term impact your words are having on your children? It’s especially important for single dads.
From Matt Haviland: Some of my hardest moments taught me the greatest lessons and gave me perspectives I may not have known otherwise.
Is it possible to be a great father as a single dad? Absolutely! But in some ways we may have to take a slightly different approach.
Quite a few divorced dads go through periods where they don’t get to interact much with their kids. Here are 2 thoughts to keep in mind.
My eyes were opened to the remarkable impact that man had on my daughter’s life. I began to understand the depth of this stepfather’s love …
Patrick Hughes was born blind and with physical restrictions that keep him in a wheelchair. Can you imagine how his father must have felt? Patrick Senior often wondered, “Why us?” But then …
Wisdom from dads in response to the question: How do you help your kids know that “It’s not your fault”?
Dad, are you really plugged into what’s going on in your children’s lives? Do you have a good handle on what happens in their typical day, who is influencing them, and how they are processing the things they see and hear? In today’s world these can be unsettling...
by Dr. Ken Canfield Dad, are you instilling in your children a strong “internal locus of control”? You’re probably thinking, What does that mean? And I get it. It’s a term that I’ve come across as a researcher from time to time through the years. Some years ago, one...
by Donald Calkins That’s right, dad. Your children believe the world revolves around you; they see you as holding the universe in your hands. While that may be exaggerated, the truth is that most dads have extraordinary influence over their children. I remember going...
Dad, what will it take to make this year the best ever for you and your kids? The media has a New Year tradition of remembering well-known people who died during the past year. A few years back, one of those people was a man who really seemed to “get it” as a father,...
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC One December back in the late 60s, a father-daughter tradition began. One afternoon, my father drove my younger sister and me—seven and five at the time—two hours away in our turquoise station wagon to cut down our family...
by Matt Haviland If the holiday season ushers in an assortment of emotions to most people, that’s even more true for single dads this time of year. Joy, laughter, and anticipation may be at the forefront. What about dread, anxiety, or doubt? “Yes” to all of the above,...
How do you decide what gifts to give your children this time of year? Maybe your family has settled into an annual routine that seems to work pretty well. Maybe the kids create lists to help you know what they want. Maybe most of the gifts have already been bought...
What’s the secret ingredient of good fathering? And maybe more importantly for many dads: What can you do if you never saw that kind of father as you grew up? Jeff is a committed dad who has a great perspective on fathering. He’s passionate about being the dad his two...
by Ron Nichols There’s a common expression that we use all the time. It’s pretty harmless in itself, but as fathers we need to think differently with it. It’s the simple concept of spending time. We always say, “I spent a lot of time on that project,” or, “I spent 20...
by Dr. Ken Canfield Don’t worry. This isn’t about politics. It’s about being a father. The election is over and we’re all left to deal with it, whether we’re happy, a little angry, or mostly indifferent about the results. Maybe our lives will be significantly...
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Dad, how powerful are your words in your daughter’s life? As you might suspect, I believe they are extremely important. Like a plant needs water, your girl needs your encouragement and affirmation. Allow me to illustrate further...
by David Tucker - Founder, DigitalParenting.com We are bombarded with new studies almost daily illustrating how technology can have life-altering adverse effects on our children. From distraction and depression to predators and pornography, technology has evolved into...