Longtime NCF friend and fathering advocate David Hirsch describes his inspiring work to combat father absence and encourage dads in challenging situations.
Stepdads: Be a Friend & Assistant
You married your spouse, not her kids. Your job is to help her, not take over her role or responsibilities with her children.
Divorced Dads: Respect a Child’s Love
Whether it was intentional or not, maybe you have tried to turn your child against his mother. And make no mistake, these kinds of comments move you dangerously close to placing yourself between your dear, sweet child and someone he loves more than anyone else, except you.
6 Thoughts for Dads of Children with Special Needs
Whether you have a child with a physical challenge, a learning disability or an emotional problem, you might benefit from these six thoughts.
José’s Story: Your Children Are Gifts
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Your child is an incredible gift! Not a liability as some would suggest. No matter what your current situation, whether you have a special-needs child, a child who’s struggling in some way, or a child you don’t get to see as often as you’d...
Accepting a Disabled Child, Part 1
Most dads don’t think about the responsibility of caring for a disabled child until they experience it first hand.
Divorced Dads: Find Ways to Be Involved
Some of the most heroic examples of fatherhood are found in single, non-custodial dads who find ways to engage their children despite the challenges.
Thanks for What? Divorced Dads & the Holidays
While it’s difficult not having a partner during the holidays, it’s particularly difficult when we don’t have our children. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the things we don’t have and the things for which we’re not thankful.
Talking About the Divorce: 5 Things Kids Need to Hear
I’ve learned some things about being a great divorced dad, especially about communication. Here are my best pieces of advice …
Believe in Miracles: 5 Lessons from Raising a Cancer Survivor
I would never say that I have handled the various challenges perfectly, but there are some important things I have learned along the way
Ways to Stay Positive Through Discouragement
If you’re like many men, you love being a dad. It speaks to something deep within you. But sometimes it gets hard, and you get discouraged. Nothing seems to work with your kids, and the payoffs are few and far between.
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.
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.
Raising a Future Adult: 3 Ideas for Dads
Dad, if your kids are still pretty young, we have some news for you: They grow up. Some dads of teenagers and adult children would tell you that this is bad news, because a young-adult child is causing them a lot of worry and stress. Other dads would say kids growing...
Keep Using Your Unique, Mysterious Secrets with Your Kids
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Last week’s blog provided you with “dad hacks” that some fathers use to make their lives easier and connect with their kids. I trust at least some of them were helpful to you or at least caused you to do some deeper thinking or brainstorming. It...
Dad Hacks: Use These, Share Yours
Many of our best insights here at NCF are research-based. We often talk about the I-CANs or the 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers, and much of what you’ll see at fathers.com is based on those frameworks and the fathering practices associated with them. We also regularly...
Three Responsibilities of a Father
by Jeff Hamilton, founder of Dad Academy® The responsibilities of being a father are more than just what you are able to provide financially or support emotionally. Research proves the importance of a father’s presence in a child’s life. Beyond being present, a...
Fit Fatherhood: Inspiring a Healthy Lifestyle for Our Kids
Disclaimer: At fathers.com, we are not fitness experts. It isn't our main focus or calling. However, maybe a lot of us would benefit from occasional reminders about taking our physical well-being seriously as dads. Of course, good health may not be the most important...
Single Fathers: 3 Do’s and 2 Don’ts
by Matt Haviland Early in my years as a single father, I was invited by another man at work to join a small group of guys he was hosting. Immediately I felt out of place: I was the youngest guy in the group, I was the only single father, and compared to the other...
Back to School: Embrace Your Role as a Dad
Maybe your kids just started school a few days ago, or maybe where you are they start in the coming weeks. It’s a big deal for them, and it impacts the entire family. For kids, a new school year means new teachers, new classrooms, and new responsibilities. Sometimes...
Know When to Pick Your Battles, Dad
by Jay Payleitner Our kids were not fussy eaters. But one of them really, really didn’t like asparagus. Actually, none of the kids liked asparagus. But during one particular dinner, that one particular 8-year-old let it be known that there was no way he was going to...
The Myth of Quality Time
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...
Connecting Through Fashion: Understanding Your Daughter’s Unique Style
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...
Walking with Your Kids Through Tragedies
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...
4 Habits of Dads Who GET IT
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...