Soon after my divorce in 2000, I became the primary custodian of my two sons CJ and Brandon. I remarried in 2007, but those years as a single parent gave me a different perspective on fatherhood and the task of training my sons in the world of dating and relationships.
The new song "Daddy Phone," by country artist Marty Raybon, portrays a divorced dad who only gets to see his son occasionally. To stay connected, the dad gives his son a cell phone and tells him, "When you're missing me, or feeling all alone, just push '1' on your daddy phone. I'll be on the line when I hear that ringtone. We'll talk anytime on your daddy phone."
by Len Stauffenger The holidays are here. You love your kids, and you want to be with those little rascals. You want to share all the wonderful experiences that the holidays promise, but you’re divorced — or you are getting a divorce — and you don’t want to share them with your ex. What to do?
Although divorced dads may identify with this most easily, every dad faces relationship barriers of some kind, and all dads can benefit from being reminded about a few simple truths.
Being a single dad isn't all work. In fact, sometimes it's great fun. So with Father's Day coming up, here are five ideas to keep in mind that will be good for you, and your kids. Some of these ideas pertain to this Father's Day, and others will have an impact for years to come. So here’s wishing you and your kids a Happy Father’s Day, and a great summer.
from Neil Chethik: Suggestions on how to make summers with the kids a satisfying experience that can also help heal the wounds of divorce.
I was recently asked about how I celebrate Mother's Day as a single father. It took me a moment to think about the question. Then I realized that, for the single dad, Mother's Day is actually about our children. I also found that when I have shared my Mother's Day experiences at SingleDad.com, there seemed to be a common theme among single dads like me who have discovered new relationships with their children as well as with the mother of their children.
Some fun personal and practical family activities to celebrate without feeling the “Valentine Blues” that often come for single dads.
Experiences and advice from RJ, Jesse & Jon from SingleDad.com on surviving the holidays.
Regardless of how little time you actually get to spend with your child, you're still his father. You may not be a father in the way you want to be, but yours is as real a father-child relationship as any. This is the one and only way that you can have a relationship with this child at this point.
As I look back on my own personal experiences with co-parenting, I can only draw one conclusion: I could have saved a lot of time and avoided a lot of stress if had I worried more about my behavior than my ex's. To save other guys the same painful and unnecessary process, here are the challenges that I faced when I became a single dad and had to learn to co-parent with my ex and the hard lessons I learned.
A Father Re-Connects With His Daughter
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
by Dr. Ken Canfield My family is celebrating a new life with the birth of another grandchild. That makes sixteen grandkids total, although it’s the first child for one of my adult children—the last of the five to become a parent. It’s an incredible and joyful time,...
by Dr. Ken Canfield Dad: It’s Father's Day! How will you celebrate? There are probably as many options as there are unique dads. But we all share a few things in common, and there are positive things for all of us to keep in mind. This Father’s Day, I hope you feel...
The U.S. Census Bureau regularly releases interesting statistics related to various holidays. For Father's Day, many of them focus on gifts to get for a dad: As of 2021, there were 6,000 men's clothing stores in the United States, 15,000 hardware stores, and 20,000...
Officially, summer is still almost a month away, but for many families the end of the school year is the start of summer vacation and a time of definite change in the routine. Maybe this summer your kids have a busy schedule of sports, camps and sports camps, music or...
This week we’re addressing a question we received from a dad. He wrote: Looking for some tips on staying calm at kids' bedtime. Having to ask them to do their teeth and put their PJs on 50 &#%?@! times kills me, and then they get upset, then I get upset. Happens a...
by Dr. Ken Canfield Dads, you’re ready to honor your mother and your children’s mother this Sunday ... aren’t you? I hope Mother’s Day is something you throw yourself into, because moms deserve it—and it’s good for us and for our kids. By now you have probably made...
How do you maintain your motivation and commitment as a dad? According to our own research on fatherhood, high commitment is the number-one sign or predictor of an effective father. And if you’re reading this, then there’s a good chance that describes you—you’re a...