Some things that all dads can do!

Fathering The Future Trust

Show your sons the ways that you would like them to be when they are men. To learn this boys need to spend time with men. They will learn much more from what you do than from what you say.

Take your children to work with you sometimes if you can.  Let them get to know how you spend your days when they are not with you. 

Enjoy your children’s company. 

Spend time with your daughters.  You are the first man that your daughters really know.  It will help them to feel good about being female if they see that you enjoy your time with them.  You are helping them to learn how to expect men to treat them when they grow up.

Share your own interests and hobbies with them.

Help your children with their sport or hobbies.

Show your love in different ways if you find it hard to say you love them. It doesn’t need a lot of talking to:

Teach your children about rules and laws.  Teach by what you do, as well as what you tell them.  Stick to what is right even if it annoys them. 

Encourage your children to stick at a problem even if it’s hard. 

Expect your children to do their best and be proud of them when they do, but be proud of them even when they fail. 

Play with your children.   Fathers often enjoy rough and tumble play.  Children can learn a lot from this sort of play with their fathers. They learn that you can be strong and yet not too rough to hurt others.  They learn that you can get excited and yet you can stop before things get out of hand.

Share your child’s life.  Go to school and pre school parent nights, to the doctor, to the park and to watch their sport.

Comfort them.  Children, even tiny babies, often get a special feeling of security from being comforted by their dads when they are frightened or upset.

Talk about your feelings so that your children learn that it is all right for men to talk about feelings. Talk about when you feel sad or happy.

Being out of work and money worries can make problems for parents.  But being out of work may mean that you have time to give to your children.  Make it special so they will remember it all their lives.

Don’t push your children into doing things you wanted to do and missed out on.  They need to live their own lives.

Encourage your children to explore the world and find out.

Reproduced with permission from the Fathering the Future Trust. The trust is committed to fostering a culture whereby fathers have an active and positive child-centred parenting role. For more information visit their website or phone (03) 355 0599.