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Kids, Books, and Dads
by John Hoffman A friend posted this really cool baby video on Facebook a few weeks ago. It shows her nine-month-old baby, Rueben, “reading” a book. He’s not really reading, of course. Reuben is leaning on a low table looking at and playing with a baby board book that has pictures of animals. Rueben sort of flips the pages back and forth,...
Ten Ways to be a Better Dad in 2017
by John Hoffman Fathering can be a very humbling pursuit. We’ve all had times when we’d like to do a little better. In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions I’m offering ten ways to be a better dad in the coming year. Chances are you already do a lot of the things on this list. But maybe you can find one idea here that could help you parent...
The Directive – Dec 27/16
Welcome to The Directive. This is a regular assortment of father related news stories, information, and fun stuff. If you have anything you would like posted here, please send it our way. After a few months of dealing with deleted websites we are finally getting our info back online. Check out mydad.ca for all the My Dad Matters toolkit info -...
Rethinking Holiday Stress
by John Hoffman ‘Tis the season to be…. stressed? It seems like I can’t turn around these days without hearing people talking about holiday stress. My first reaction is always, “Ick! Can’t we talk about happier things at this time of the year?” Then my next thought is, "Well, yeah, I know people who find Christmas (the holiday I celebrate)...
Strategies for Engaging Rural Fathers
We just wrapped up a teleconference call focused on supporting fathers who live in rural and small communities in Ontario. Here is a list of some best practices we talked about. Partnerships Working with larger employers can help - they are often community minded - can be a great support for engaging fathers and families Sports locations -...
Does Society Expect Less of Fathers Than Mothers?
Today, December 6, is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Dad Central Ontario believes strongly in the importance of a caring, supportive relationship between parents. This post reminds all of us of the value of motherhood in the healthy development of children. -ed. by John Hoffman When I started taking our...
The Directive – Nov 29/16
Welcome to The Directive. This is a regular assortment of father related news stories, information, and fun stuff. If you have anything you would like posted here, please send it our way. Registration for the Canadian Father Involvement Conference is now open. Check out the plans for conversations focused on vulnerable fathers and families....
Let Kids Be Kids
Do we really need to talk to young kids about things like Donald Trump’s election victory? by John Hoffman I can’t believe how many articles I’ve seen over the past week about how to talk to your kids about Donald Trump being elected. Being the contrarian I sometimes am, my first impulse is to not write about that topic simply because everyone...
The Directive – Nov 15/16
Welcome to The Directive. This is a regular assortment of father related news stories, information, and fun stuff. If you have anything you would like posted here, please send it our way. Registration for the Canadian Father Invovlement Conference is now open. How's your Mo? Check out what you can do to support and raise awareness of men's...
You’ve Come A Long Way, Dads
by John Hoffman You’re not supposed to think about work when you’re on holidays. But on my recent trip to Europe I couldn’t help it. I kept seeing soooo many great examples of hands-on fatherhood. I guess I kind of have an eye for that sort of thing. Most of the dads and kids I observed were on holiday. But, as any dad or mom knows, when you...
The Directive – Nov 1/16
Welcome to The Directive. This is a regular assortment of father related news stories, information, and fun stuff. If you have anything you would like posted here, please send it our way. Save the Date! Side-by-Side: Strategies for Working with Vulnerable Fathers. THis is the theme of Dad Central Canada's 2nd National Father Involvement...
Call for Proposals
Reminder: We are looking for workshops proposals for the 2nd Canadian Father Involvement Conference: Mar 1 & 2, 2017 in Winnipeg, MB. Theme: Side-by-Side: Strategies for Working with Vulnerable Fathers. Dads find themselves in many different situations. We want to inspire conversations and networking for working with dads who are in...
7 Songs for the First 7 Days
By Lee Carnihan You’ll have enough on your plate in the first week without having to worry about what day it is. Time will become meaningless over the first few days and hours – it all blurs into one frankly – but we have to start somewhere and what better day to start on than a Monday? Manic Monday – The Bangles The Bangles may have sung about...
The Directive – Oct 18/16
Welcome to The Directive. This is a regular assortment of father related news stories, information, and fun stuff. Call for Workshop and Poster Presentations for the 2nd Canadian Father Involvement Conference. Due Oct 31. Check out here: english (2017-dcc-call-for-proposalsen) and french (2017-dcc-call-for-proposalsfr). Children are often the...
Inside, Outside: Staying connected with your kids is a big challenge for incarcerated fathers
by John Hoffman What would be a first thing a child would say when he visited his father in prison for the first time? Depending on the child it might be any number of things. Here’s what Stan’s * nine-year-old said the first time he saw his dad in prison. “Dad! You look like a super hero.” (*last name withheld to respect children’s privacy) Stan...
Win an Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner Jersey and Dove Men+Care Prize Pack
Enter for your chance to win!Full Contest Rules and Regulations: 1. CONTEST PERIOD The Contest is run by Dad Central and will take place from February...
A Father & Son Talk About Success with World Record Holder Connor Emeny
In this unique conversation we sit down with world record holder Connor Emeny and his dad, Steve Emeny for an inside look into their relationship.
The Intense Pain and How to Overcome Losing a Spouse to Suicide
Mike Whitla talks about the pain of losing a spouse to suicide and how hard it is to keep a family together afterwards.
What You Can Expect For Season Two of The Dad Central Show
Ed and Drew speak briefly about two ideas that may lead into season 2’s content. This is a short but informative conversation that shares personal experiences, past guests and foreshadows future guests.