The DadTalk blog features insights from dads and Responsible Fatherhood practitioners from around the country. Its goal is to start conversations about important issues surrounding fatherhood and programs for fathers today.
In December, families often take time to come together and celebrate the holidays. Whether you are taking part in traditions that have been in your family for generations or creating new ones with your own kids, the holiday season is a perfect…
Mothers have a pretty thankless job. They are the backbone of the family—the glue that holds it together so to speak. Single moms especially are generally overworked and underappreciated. The truth is without mom; most kids would suffer mightily and fail to thrive to their full potential. Therefore, it’s vitally important that mom know how much everyone appreciates her and all the things she does. Here are five ways for dads to show mom how thankful you are she’s around.
Give her some time alone—take the kids Most moms dream about having some quiet time around the house. Offer to…
The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently released Focus,with six articles that examine the issues of paternal incarceration and its affects on fathers and their children during and after imprisonment. The issue of parental incarceration is of great concern for several reasons. First and foremost is the sheer numbers: On any given day in America, it is estimated that more than 1.7 million children under 18 years old have a parent incarcerated in a state (52%) or federal prison (63%)—91% of all incarcerated parents are fathers.1…
In addition to the obstacles that almost all former offenders are faced with, men who have children encounter an especially difficult set of hurdles, when reentering society. As someone who has worked on the issue of re-entry in numerous capacities, and as the older sister of three brothers who have been incarcerated, I have developed a deeper understanding of the supports needed by these fathers to help them succeed as parents, both during and after incarceration.
Although it is often disheartening to see how often the policy lags behind the realities of what men face when trying…
The effects of incarceration are felt far beyond prison walls. New research estimates that more than 5 million children, or 7% of all children in the United States, have had a parent in prison at some point during their childhood. Every year more than 600,000 individuals return to our neighborhoods after serving time in federal and state prisons and another 11.4 million cycle through local jails. Though every family’s story is different, many justice-involved…
Because we did not have a lot of money growing up, I went to work at age 12. I started my own lawn mowing business in the summer and had my own paper route year-round. At 14, I went to work at a semi-truck tire rim refurbishing plant. It was the most physically demanding job I have ever endured. It involved shoveling huge piles of sand and moving them by wheel barrow to the sand blaster as well as lifting giant steel tire rims—by-hand—into and out of a vat of paint. But this was actually a blessing in that it taught me many skills and lessons that I needed to learn in order to be…
When the daughter of one of my employees was about eight years old he took her to work at the environmental engineering firm that I owned. Once there she immediately ditched him and latched on to the lone female geologist I had working for me at the time. She took her out with her to take soil samples from a site and apparently had a grand old time in the field and at lunch. Afterwards his daughter talked about her experience nearly nonstop. She became a rock hound and has had an interest in the earth sciences ever since. Today she has graduated with a degree in biology and works for an…
Accidents can happen to anyone, sometimes even under Dad’s watchful eye. The most important thing dads can do to keep their children safe is stay informed about how they are most likely to get hurt. Even though most children do not get seriously injured from these everyday accidents, it is important to know what dangers they face and what Dad can do to help avoid them. This is where the Safety Tips for Dads fact sheets from the…
Ed note: This post originally appeared in the ACF Family Room Blog. View the original post here.
An important goal of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is to promote and support work readiness and employment in low-income families. There are a lot of possible employment and training options for individuals trying to support their families. But which jobs are better for lifting a family out of poverty? Which occupational fields are growing…
One of the most challenging things in life may be trying to successfully blend together two separate families with different expectations, experiences, and backgrounds. And being a stepparent may be the hardest thing anyone attempts in their life (possibly the most unappreciated anyway). Here are five tips from experienced parents on how to express love within a blended family.
Accept everyone for who they are Lower your expectations of trying to look like the “perfect family.” Do not force kids to immediately love their new siblings or step parent. Bonding and learning to love…
There’s something special about dads and daughters. It’s a special and unique connection, and beyond being a source of happiness, being a positive, involved influence in your daughter’s life can have a significant impact on her long-term well-being. Research has shown that feeling close to her father had a significantly positive effect on both the self-esteem and life satisfaction of daughters. It also suggests that greater father-daughter affection early in a daughter’s adult life may contribute to later well-being by bolstering her self-esteem.1
What’s one way to be a positive…