Welcome to Our Kids’ Dads
Good morning, dads, and those who support our dads. I think now is a good time to share a batch of great fathering ideas I’ve received since my article ran in the Dallas Morning News.
I’ve truly been excited and overwhelmed with the responses (one from Seattle, WA), with the realization that there are great numbers of dads out there working hard to be better fathers, and to encourage other dads to be better fathers.
Thanks for taking the time to share.
Web Resources
Here are some great web resources to help us in our quest:
Our Kids’ Dads – our own site to post blogs, comments, share tips, etc.
www.neighborsgo.com/ourkidsdads
Strong Fathers, Strong Families – a really great site with information for fathers, and for professionals. You can spend a lot of time on this site.
www.strongfathers.com
Boys Read – a site dedicated to transforming our boys into lifelong readers.
www.boysread.com
Fathers.com National Center for Fathering – challenging ideas for action-oriented dads; sign up for the weekly newsletter.
www.fathers.com
All Pro Dad – an organization founded by Tony Dungy, NFL Super Bowl-winning coach; sign up for the daily e-mail tips; find the free resources to have an All Pro Dad monthly breakfast at your child’s school.
www.allprodad.com
Your Tips
Here are some of the great tips you all have shared:
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(from Doug in Rockwall, Texas, a member of the Watch DOGS – Dads of Great Students group) – have dads come to school at least one day a year to help teachers, hug the kids, direct traffic, but most of all have a male presence in an otherwise female-dominated environment.
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(from Joe in Garland, Texas) – write notes on the bathroom mirror with an erasable marker wishing them a happy birthday or whatever else is going on that day.
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(also from Joe in Garland) – leave your teen a note on paper with a few dollars so he can buy a burger that day.
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(from Bob in Garland) – instill a love of reading from the moment their eyes open and they know your voice. Read to them daily. Let them read to you. Let them see you turn off the TV in order to read a book. Share your excitement about what you read – they will understand that reading can be exciting.
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(also from Bob in Garland) – turn your home into a learning laboratory. Maps of the U.S. and the World on the wall; a telescope on the patio; a subscription to National Geographic for Kids; an office area with all the tools for learning, including quiet.
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(also from Bob) – ask their opinion of the cause of new stories. Through such discussions, you will reveal your values, and they will learn to express theirs.
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(also from Bob) – discuss letters from advice columnists – “How did this person get into this mess? What would you advise him to do about this problem?”
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(from Bob) – know their friends, and their friends’ families.
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(from Bob) – take them to church – don’t send them.
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(Bob) – get involved with their school.
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(Bob) – at about age 13, let them start being involved in the family finances. Discuss financial goals, challenges and successes. Discuss expenses. Let them balance the family checkbook, if you still have one.
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(Bob) – during high school summer breaks, work with them to arrange jobs or internships at various trade jobs – plumbing, carpentry, auto repair, electrical, cemetery/mortuary, etc., paid or not. This will introduce them to possibilities other than professions requiring college degrees and give them insights into the way the world functions.
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(Bob) – arrange field trips behind the scenes at places that interest them.
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(Bob) – they have plenty of friends; what they need is a parent or two.
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(Bob) – memorize noble speeches and/or Scripture passages with them.
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(Bob) – teach them math in the real world – adding up grocery store purchases, buying carpet by the square yard, figuring the square and cubic feet in your home/garage/storage shed/car/RV, dividing a pizza and 2-liter soda fairly among all the family members, the weight of the water in the pool. Just don’t call it “teaching” or “learning” – make it a fun necessity.
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(Bob) – encourage all pre-natal health providers to give our contact information to the mother-to-be to be passed on to the father-to-be. Include practical information to the mother-to-be about why it is so important to keep the father-to-be involved.
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(Bob) – encourage more involvement in Big Brothers.
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(Bob) – offer free fathering classes, materials. (See All Pro Dad above.)
OK. That’s all for now. Have a good week. Please encourage other fathers to go to our website (www.neighborsgo.com/ourkidsdads) and sign up, become an Our Kids’ Dads friend.
Until next time, I’m proud to be associated with such a great bunch of dads and dad supporters.
Nelson.
