So it’s time for you to sit down and have a face-to-face chat with your teenage son. Actually, there might be a better option.
The public service announcements on television make it sound like the best approach is to just start a conversation about drugs or alcohol at the breakfast table. But most teenagers would just roll their eyes—and probably tune you out.
The greatest gift a nurturing father gives his sons is a healthy model of what it means to be a boy, a man, and a father. Boys and girls both need their father's affection. But with boys it may be harder for dads to openly show it, even those fathers and sons who spend lots of companionship time together.
Despite the movement of our culture towards androgyny, we are all well aware of the unique contributions and the unique differences between men and women, boys and girls. No matter what any clinical psychologist or researcher might say, there are distinct, observable, differences between the sexes, and I'm glad about it.
Do you expect more out of your son or your daughter?
I got to know Nicole Gallagher over the phone when she was a behind-the-scenes producer for the ABC News program American Agenda. They were working on a piece that focused on fathering.
Imagine you could fast-forward your daughter’s life fifteen or twenty years. She’s thirty-five, and you get to see her coming in the door from grocery shopping with three young kids. Clearly, the outing has been stressful.
In recent weeks, several of our staff have been looking at ways to improve our fathering seminars and Father~Daughter Summits. The process has included survey requests to some of you, as well as interviews with partners, volunteers, and people who have attended these events.
There’s a growing awareness of a father’s importance in the life of his daughter. Both the academic world and the general population are recognizing that a dad’s influence goes beyond the “little girl” years into adulthood, and is an important complement to her mom’s vital role.
There are a lot of reasons for you to be a loving father to your daughter. She'll have a more positive view of men in general. More self-esteem as a woman. She's more likely to stay sexually pure until marriage and have a more healthy view of sexuality.
Little girls are cute. Boys are cute too, but it seems natural to cuddle little girls more than boys and, in fact, parents do tend to pick up and hold daughters more than sons. But before you know it, your little girl has become a young woman, and nurturing her isn't easy, but more like scary. Now you're a little edgy around her, and careful not to do anything that could be misinterpreted in any way. But your daughter is still yearning for your affection and approval.
It’s a scary time for dads, but it’s also a great opportunity because it forces us to address issues and questions that can be a little awkward.
We interviewed 33 young women (ages 13-24) and asked them, among other questions, “What questions could your dad ask you to demonstrate that he really cares about what’s going on in your life?”
Even before your children were born, you probably dreamed about your son as a star athlete. Well, you may have gotten it all wrong.
Here's something that some dads rarely consider. Daughters can be athletes, too! As a matter of fact, girls need to learn about teamwork, good sportsmanship and the thrill of victory just as much as boys.
Are you getting ready for that big birds-and-the-bees talk, dad? That talk is important, but you can't stop there. A study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence looked at 750 inner-city African American youth between the ages of 14 and 17. The researchers...
“Today’s men are obsessed with money, greed and sex. We will talk about the first two, somewhat, but the last one we avoid.” So writes author Archie Wortham. Wortham believes dads need to talk to other men about the challenges they have faced or are facing as men,...
In a 2006 article, Orlando Sentinel columnist Kathleen Parker addressed America's "boy crisis." Many have recently drawn attention to statistics showing that boys are falling behind in school performance. Parker responded to a recent study which concluded that the...
A deluge of recent studies makes it clear that boys are vulnerable. They are falling behind in many key areas: SAT scores, reading proficiency and college attendance; and moving ahead in some undesirable statistics: emotional disturbance, school dropout and suicide...
Some moments you and your son will remember forever. You're out in the country with your fourteen-year-old son, coming back from someone's house. You pull the car over to the side of the deserted dirt road and turn off the ignition. "Dad, what's going on?" your son...
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Sometimes—especially with sons—you have to "play hardball." If you're a father of boys, you have my prayers. They'll make you proud, but they also may make you crazy. One of the key areas you need to address with your sons is their...
So it’s time for you to sit down and have a face-to-face chat with your teenage son. Actually, there might be a better option. The public service announcements on television make it sound like the best approach is to just start a conversation about drugs or alcohol at...
The greatest gift a nurturing father gives his sons is a healthy model of what it means to be a boy, a man, and a father. Boys and girls both need their father's affection. But with boys it may be harder for dads to openly show it, even those fathers and sons who...
Despite the movement of our culture towards androgyny, we are all well aware of the unique contributions and the unique differences between men and women, boys and girls. No matter what any clinical psychologist or researcher might say, there are distinct, observable,...
by Ken Canfield, Ph.D. Do you expect more out of your son or your daughter? I got to know Nicole Gallagher over the phone when she was a behind-the-scenes producer for the ABC News program American Agenda. They were working on a piece that focused on fathering. From...
Imagine you could fast-forward your daughter’s life fifteen or twenty years. She’s thirty-five, and you get to see her coming in the door from grocery shopping with three young kids. Clearly, the outing has been stressful. Her husband is lounging on the couch. The...
In recent weeks, several of our staff have been looking at ways to improve our fathering seminars and father-daughter events. The process has included survey requests to some of you, as well as interviews with partners, volunteers, and people who have attended these...