A father will always play a vital role in a child's growing years, especially sons. His absence or presence in the child's life will have a profound impact in the future. In Black Fathers Black Sons, author Ray Waters delves into the relationships of African-American men and reveals new insights that will fuel debate and debunk many myths. (Author abstract)
Family priorities often must come second to military orders. When one spouse returns from deployment and begins the homecoming process, the couple may feel as if they are on an emotional rollercoaster. They may experience intense anticipation, anxiety, restlessness, impatience, and excitement. It is also typical to feel resentment, disappointment, frustration, and grief over losses of freedom or independence. It may take the couple several months to find a healthy balance in their relationship again after the deployment. Furthermore, it is common for military couples to deal with Post-…
Welcome home from your military deployment! For the next few months, you may feel as if you are on an emotional rollercoaster, full of both excitement and anxiety. You may also experience feelings of resentment, disappointment, and frustration. Don't worry--this emotional cycle is normal. The most important thing to keep in mind is that getting back into a positive routine with your spouse will take time. Things won't be like they were before the deployment--you both have grown and changed as a result of this challenge--but you can be an even stronger couple.After a deployment, it is common…
Children who grow up in single-parent families are more likely to be poor, have trouble in school, and become teen parents themselves. Additionally, children who are born to a mother who is a teenager, who hasn't finished high school, and who isn't married are nine times more likely to be poor than a child whose mother is even a few years older, is married and has at least finished high school. Thus, strengthening families through both teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) and marriage and relationship education (MRE) programs is an effort to decrease out-of-wedlock childbearing and increase the…
This fact sheet reviews marital statistics for members of the Reserve Component of the U.S. Armed Forces which is comprised of both the National Guard and the Reserves. It discusses the unique challenges facing military couples and then reports that the marriage rates for Reserve and National Guard members are similar to rates for civilians, with 48% currently married; officers are more likely to be married than enlisted members; the proportion of Reserve Component members who are married has gradually decreased since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; females are less likely to be…
Report, Book
Do dads matter in the lives of their kids? While some debate this, the research answers the question with a capital Y-E-S! Healthy Marriages, Responsible Fatherhood captures a lot of that research which shows how important fathers really are, and how marriage is the glue that bonds dads to their kids.The Healthy Marriage Series is available in print (as booklets), digital (PowerPoint, Video and Keynote) and online (YouTube and Blip.tv) formats. (Author abstract modified)
Writing a book on African American manhood is truly a work-in-process. No man, no matter how old, has all the answers to the question, "What does it mean to be a real Black man?" Like all matters of image and identity, this question can only be answered by being in a relationship with a community of friends. Without the bond of friendship and respect, the effort to answer the question is likely to be marked by a competition to present the most superior image. Butler has attempted to answer the question by pointing to the fact that African American manhood is not one image or idea. Black…
The Best Kept Secret studies the often-overlooked group of single, African American custodial fathers. While the media focuses on the increase of single mothers and the decline in marriage in the black community, Roberta Coles paints a nuanced picture of single black dads. Based on qualitative research, the author looks at the parenting experience of these fathers, who may have become single parents through nonmarital births, divorce, widowhood and adoption. The fathers, ranging in age from 20 to 76, discuss their motivations for taking custody of their children, what roles they enact as…
We've all heard that a father's involvement enriches the lives of children. But how much have we heard about how having a child affects a father's life? As Peter Gray and Kermyt Anderson reveal, fatherhood actually alters a man's sexuality, rewires his brain, and changes his hormonal profile. His very health may suffer--in the short run--and improve in the long. These are just a few aspects of the scientific side of fatherhood explored in this book, which deciphers the findings of myriad studies and makes them accessible to the interested general reader. Since the mid-1990s Anderson and Gray…
Men do not often come for counseling because they are having difficulties with being a father, but many of the presenting problems and reasons for seeking help can be related to the roles and responsibilities of fathering. The dramatic shift in societal expectations of being a father can often leave men confused as they navigate conflicting views, demands, and responsibilities.Counseling Fathers is designed to bridge the gap between fathers and professional helpers. This book provides the mental health practitioners with a guide for working with fathers in therapy, whether the issues of…
