DadTalk Blog

I vividly recall my father’s long fingers and open hands as he spoke and welcomed others into his presence. I wisely knew not to interrupt him when I saw his face buried in his hands as he was deep in thought. I appreciated his big hands when he carried me to the emergency room a few times for accidents I had while playing imaginatively. And I tried to follow his teaching on how to appropriately grasp a baseball for a fast ball or a curve ball. Four years since his passing and what I mostly cherish were his embracing hands that would drain out my worries of the world. 

There are…

As the founder of the Center for Urban Families, one of my joys has been helping fathers defy the odds (and society’s low expectations of them) to change their lives—and create a better future for their children.

All transformations require courage and humility. But that’s especially true for dads who are struggling with addiction.

I got hooked on heroin as a 13-year-old kid living in Baltimore. Without a father-figure in my life, I began questioning my definition of “manhood” and gave in to the negative influences around me. By my early…

On the surface: It’s the start of 2016, and on the outside, life in my world couldn’t look better. I’m surrounded by family and friends, working my dream job in my hometown, and my beautiful wife and I are expecting our first child come the spring. My wife is also a Pediatric Nurse – a.k.a. Peyton Manning when comes to caring for young children. Becoming a Dad is the natural next step, and I’ll be great at it.

Between my ears: OMG! My wife is pregnant, and I have no idea if I’m more excited or scared for my life. I don’t know the first thing about parenting and really question how…

With Father’s Day coming up next month, you might be looking for new and engaging ways to get your partners and community involved with the issue of Responsible Fatherhood. The recently launched Responsible Fatherhood Campaign Toolkit is a helpful and easy-to-use website with great resources, especially if you are trying to:

Being a dad can be one of the most joyful experiences in a person’s life. The bonds between fathers and their children are deep and last a lifetime. Loving fathers want the best for their children and work to strengthen these bonds of love; however, the challenges of life can strain even the most precious relationships. Stress at work, financial worries, strained relationships with a co-parent, difficulties related to custody arrangements or father-child visits, personal health issues—life’s curve balls can sometimes feel like obstacles to nurturing a strong father-child bond. They can…

Family strengthening is a topic that has always been a part of the Head Start vision, and the past two decades have seen a growing recognition of how important Dads are to this process. For example, take the 2017 Father/Male Engagement Appreciation Breakfast held by Union Baptist Head Start in Baltimore, Maryland. This event truly embodied the best practice of showing fathers they are needed and appreciated. It also served to uncover Dads’ wants and needs for services.  As the Master of Ceremony for the event, it was exciting for me to facilitate a spirited conversation to find out what…

“If no one in your group is talking about it [domestic violence], you’re not addressing it.” – Lisa Nitch, House of Ruth, Maryland

For parents of teenagers and programs working with young fathers, knowing and recognizing the warning signs of unhealthy dating behaviors that can lead to teen dating violence is crucial. This is especially true in the context of a recent national survey in which 1 in 10 teens reported being hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once in the last 12 months. What’s more, during the 12 months prior to the survey, 1 in 10…

“When I found out I was going to be a father [at 21], I had to make some conscious decisions about my behavior. I soon found out that I couldn’t afford to buy both liquor and diapers.” – Andre Dandridge, NewYoungFathers.com

Responsible fatherhood programs have the potential to have a dramatic, positive influence on the lives of program participants and their children and extended families. Because young fathers are still at early stages of their own development, there are few places where the potential for impacting positive change is clearer than when working with young fathers (…

“The IRS estimates only four out of five workers claim EITC they earned.” – NRFC DadTalk Blog

Filing taxes is a notoriously confusing and complicated process. As the April filing deadline approaches and the conversation around taxes gets more intense, we need all the help we can get. This year, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) can potentially provide an added benefit for your family. It is intended to reduce the amount of tax owed by working people with low to moderate income and can often lead to a refund. However, many people don’t know that the EIT

C is available to…

Over the recent holiday season, the old adage “caring is sharing” often comes to mind. Sharing gifts. Sharing time with family and friends. Sharing food (perhaps a cookie or two). These are all wonderful ways to show others that we care about them, and excellent skills to be teaching our children.

But caring is more than sharing, and is fundamentally important to helping raise our children to be empathetic, responsible, successful, and ultimately happy young people and adults. From improved social relationships to success in the workplace, when we are concerned for others and care…