When the world talks about rearing children, the tone is decidedly feminine. Despite the growing number of fathers in traditional or single parent families who participate in child-care, resources specifically focusing on fathers are often missing. It is especially true for fathers of children with disabilities. Three Twin Cities men recently acknowledged the lack of materials targeted toward fathers. They offered suggestions, based on their experiences, about how fathers can become more involved in the lives of their children with disabilities. (Author abstract)
This revised edition of The Joy of Fatherhood is for today's dad, touching on timely and relevant subjects from pre-natal care through year one of being a dad. Whether detecting an infant's illnesses, assessing a baby's development, or learning appropriate play with the newest member of the family, author Marcus J. Goldman, M.D., takes a down-to-earth, month-by-month tour of the first year of daddy's new life. Written for dads by a dad, the author applies his fathering experience and medical knowledge to cover all of the basics--from changing a diaper to feeding your baby, from packing a…
As parents, fathers have a unique opportunity to shape the lives of their children. Numerous factors contribute to a child's growth and development; however, among the most important are the daily interactions that take place between a father and child. Communication processes lie at the heart of these daily interactions. Fathers, husbands, and men in general, are often portrayed as not being good communicators, yet it is obvious that fathers are capable of communicating effectively with their children. Being an effective communicator, especially with young children, requires patience,…
What constitutes responsible fatherhood? Responsible fatherhood cannot be proven with a blood test, nor does it consist of simply providing a paycheck. Responsible fatherhood cannot be reduced to a single dimension. It involves commitment, self-sacrifice, integrity, and unconditional love. Responsible fathers are concerned with the well-being of their children, and their desire is to see their children succeed in all areas of life. This fact sheet provides a description of the framework developed by Ken Canfield, President of the National Center for Fathering, that summarizes the growing body…
This fact sheet provides a description of the characteristics that make fathers not only essential to the healthy growth and development of their children but also essential partners who share parenting with the mother of their children.
Drawing on more than a quarter of a century of Panel Study of Income Dynamics data, this paper examines links between childhood home environment (as reported by fathers during those childhood years) and children's outcomes in early adulthood. The emphasis is on the role of fathers and the unique contribution of their activities and characteristics to children's development, measured in terms of the children's completed schooling, wage rates, and nonmarital childbearing in early adulthood. Results indicate that fathers' abilities add substantial predictive power to models based on maternal…
This chapter assumes a developmental focus to provide a psychological perspective of father involvement. A key element of this objective is to recognize how difficult it is to define the complexities of father involvement. Father involvement includes such relationship components as direct interaction, availability, and the managerial function, all of which are conceptually distinct. Other issues worthy of careful consideration are the context of father involvement, processes used to index involvement, and dimensions of involvement. In addition to examining father involvement from a…
This booklet helps men fulfill their responsibilities as parents with insight into fair discipline, children's physical and emotional needs, maintaining good relations when they live apart from their children, and more. (Author abstract)
This monograph describes Creating Lasting Family Connections (CLFC), a multifaceted youth substance abuse prevention program designed to promote the healthy development of youth at risk for alcohol and other drug abuse. Chapter 1 discusses the need for alcohol and other drug prevention initiatives, reviews historical trends in substance abuse treatment and prevention, and examines the impact of motivations on prevention practices. Chapter 2 reviews resiliency theory, the theoretical basis for the development of the CLFC program, and Chapter 3 describes the components of the CLFC program. Main…
Using the analogy of baseball, this book focuses on fundamental aspects of good fathering and provides strategies for raising children. Chapters are divided into nine lessons that address: preparing for fatherhood, deciding to be actively and emotionally involved, and being thoughtfully aware; different types of child temperaments and parenting techniques; building family traditions and making memories; preventing and predicting disciplinary situations; working with your spouse; parenting alone and raising children in a calm environment; the developmental needs of children at different ages…
