Becoming a dad transforms your priorities and teaches you that “it’s not about you.” Embrace fatherhood commitment; grow through the challenges.
New Dad Feels: Enthusiasm and Cost
There’s a lot that happens to us when we become dads, including some feelings and adjustments that are unique to fatherhood.
Questions to Help Dads Connect Heritage & Legacy
As dads, our present and future are critically linked to our past. Use these questions to gain perspective on your fathering.
“I Want to Know About Fatherhood”
Children don’t just change your life; they totally transform it. They give you a new perspective on everything.
Advice for New (or Soon-To-Be) Dads!
We’ve asked some of our friends to give you their best advice as you prepare and start out on your fathering journey. Here are some of our favorites.
How Fatherhood Can Change You
Some recent research studies have found biological changes in new fathers — even at the hormonal and brain cell level.
Birth – Your Gateway to Fatherhood
Your child's birth is the gateway through which you, your child and its mother must journey in order to become a family or add to your family. The quality of the birth experience influences the quality of your relationship with your family. It can create bonds of trust and support, or it can reinforce feelings of isolation from mother and child.
Get Ready to Be a Dad with a Fathers Assembly
When my wife was pregnant, I was nervous. I knew I was on the brink of the most monumental transition in my life, and the men around me were not helping.
Dads and Childproofing
Hollywood celebrity Matthew McConaughey recently made the following comment about his 14-month-old son, Levi: "He’s getting bigger, more fun, smarter and craftier by the day." Toddlers are great at keeping their dads very busy, and their growing craftiness can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a cause for concern because they can disappear very quickly, sometimes into very unsafe environments. Have you had that experience?
Growing as You Prepare for Fatherhood
If it feels like you don’t instinctively know how to care for your baby, that’s normal. Every new parent has to learn,
A Poem for Harrison, My Unborn Son
I don’t remember exactly when it was that my wife told me she was pregnant, but I know I’ll never forget it. It lacked all the basic elements for a good commercial: No international flavored coffees. No emotional background music. No surprise greeting card that ended with Hallmark tears of joy. Just an earful of sobering news.
Older Fathers
In recent years, some high-profile men have become fathers in their fifties and sixties: Paul McCartney, David Letterman, and the list goes on. They are part of a growing trend of men having children later in life.
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: Worth Honoring on Father’s Day
by Matt Haviland Did you know that the origins of Father's Day have a connection to single fathers? Sonora Smart Dodd is largely credited with creating Father’s Day. Her father, William Jackson Smart, raised Sonora and her siblings by himself after her mother died in...
The Power of Being a Happy Dad
by Douglas Peake Here’s an early Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads out there! Even more than celebrating what you do, I want to recognize you for who you are. And according to one researcher, one of the most important ways to be a better dad is to cultivate...
25 Ways to Speak Life to Your Daughter
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC Dads, if my previous blog a few weeks ago felt a bit brutal or negative, this one will be more uplifting ... if you will take it to heart and follow through. Using a similar approach as last time—getting straight to the point and...
Home & Away Dads: Work Travel and Staying Connected with Family
Traveling for work continues to be a challenge for many dads in today’s world, and it probably will be indefinitely. Many of our work routines changed drastically during the pandemic, and we learned that working remotely and meeting by video are actually viable...
10 Meaningful Ways to Honor Her This Mother’s Day
by Ryan Debok Quick Summary: Whatever your relationship status with your children’s mother, here are 10 intentional ways to express appreciation to her on or around Mother's Day: Write a Letter – Honest, personal words that name her value. Let Her Sleep In –...
It’s Not About You: Becoming a Dad Changes Everything
There’s a truth all fathers know. Maybe dads-to-be are getting a sense of it, but new dads are bumping up against it every day. Veteran dads definitely know it, but maybe it’s been so long for them that they’ve forgotten. What is it? Fatherhood changes everything....
Dad Words That Wound: What NOT to Say to Your Daughter
by Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC During the past 15-plus years of working with fathers and daughters, I’ve grown to understand and appreciate where you dads are coming from. What I continue to hear from men is one of two responses: Tell it to me straight with as...
Father, Forgive Them: An Easter Lesson for Every Dad
What do Holy Week and Easter mean to you? Of course, Christian dads will find many life-changing lessons and truths connected with the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Whether or not you go along with the religious significance of those events, all...
Winning Battles or Hearts? Influencing Your Children’s Character
Dad, do you find yourself “laying down the law” more than you’d like to? Maybe there’s a better approach. Jerry is a partial-custody father who’s going through some big challenges with his 12-year-old daughter, who stole some hair color from a relative and colored her...
Aware Fathering: A Challenge to Reflect and Start a New Habit
Dad, this is a somewhat random day of the year. It isn’t Father’s Day, New Year’s Day or the first day of school for your kids—times when we at fathers.com typically urge guys to recommit to their fathering role. Maybe we could say springtime is when the sun is out...
Chores to Careers: Cultivating a Strong Work Ethic in Your Kids
Dad, here’s one important thought that can help guide your fathering efforts: You’re raising a future adult. It might be difficult to imagine right now, but one day your child will be “adulting” in significant ways. Will she be responsible and kind? Will he follow...
“The Worst Dad Ever”: Patience & Poise for Fathers
Sometimes our children can bring real challenges to us as fathers. Sometimes they say crazy things, but with passion and conviction. Maybe they make decisions based purely on emotion, with no real thought about long-term consequences. As dads, these are real tests of...