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Dads and Stress
by John Hoffman Have you ever noticed that when you’re in a good mood you’re a better parent? You don’t get as upset or frustrated by your children’s behaviour. You are more patient, better at solving in-the-moment parenting problems and you enjoy your kids more. When you’re in a bad mood you don’t do any of those things as well. Right? So what...
Daddies Have Hormones, Too!
by John Hoffman People often talk about mothers and hormones. But, in the last few years we’ve learned a lot about the way hormones affect new fathers. And to cut to the chase, the story here is not just that guys have parenting hormones – which shouldn’t surprise anyone – it’s that men’s hormonal systems are flexible and responsive, ready to...
Regent Park
There is momentum for fathering programs in the Regent Park Community in Toronto. As part of their program planning that includes increasing father involvement, Parents For Better Beginnings is having a number of Dads & Kids Days in the winter: sledding in January; a winter carnival in February; ice skating in March. They have put out a...
Involved Fathers Make it Safer for Women
In honour of White Ribbon Day, Canada’s national day of remembrance and action on violence against women, I’d like to highlight the role that nurturing, involved fathers can play in making society safer for women. Along with everything else we do in pursuit of that important goal, men need to do their part to make sure that our boys to grow up...
Communities Get a Booster Shot of Planning for Father Engagement
The My Dad Matters toolkit is gaining momentum as training and community development take place across Ontario. On Nov 5/14, we were in Timmins, ON where 35 people from across Timmins and the Timiskaming District gathered to talk about engaging fathers and men in their communities. People from Manitoulin Island and Cochrane, ON were also there....
Does Bottle Feeding Promote Father Involvement?
by John Hoffman I’ve often said that fathers have to play catch-up in early parenthood. Mothers get a biological and social head start at parenting and that’s just the way it is. Breastfeeding is one of the things that gives moms that head start. And breastfeeding is sometimes portrayed as an obstacle to fathers’ involvement with babies. I’ve...
Study Group from Japan Visits Dad Central Ontario
On November 13, the Ibaragi Municipal Government Study Group came to Toronto to look at a number of innovative things happening within the municipality. The group consisted of social workers, civil engineers, water quality experts, women and children's health, and a city tax expert. One of the issues they were looking for information on was...
Father Involvement: The Cortisol Effect
by John Hoffman When people talk about fathers these days they often use the words “involvement” and “children.” “Father involvement is good for children.” “Today’s fathers are more involved in the lives of their children.” It’s great that people who work with families are paying more attention to how fathers’ involvement benefits children....
My Dad Matters in Regent Park
It was a momentous occasion - Oct 17, 2014 - the first community training offered based on the new My Dad Matters father engagement toolkit. Regent Park has been on our radar for a while now as a place where we have wanted to bring fathering support to the community. It was a privilege to meet with 35 leaders in the community who see the need...
Inspiration and Affirmation
Engaged fathers sometimes struggle to see themselves reflected in popular culture. At the same time, fathers who are struggling to engage with their kids don't often see positive role-modeling or inspiration around them. With that in mind we wanted to share this beautiful collection of dads displaying the joy and connection that engaged...
Alex Nayanookeesic and a Young Dad’s Carousel of Life
Alex was able to work most of the summer on a bridge construction crew by the Gravel River in Northwestern Ontario. Most of the pounding manual work was behind the handles of a jackhammer. Occasionally there was a requirement for him to log some time on the wheeled front end loader which proved to be valuable heavy duty equipment experience....
Canada’s first National Fatherhood Conference! Call for Proposals.
Proposals are presently being received for the Canadian Fatherhood National Conference in Hamilton, ON — Tuesday, March 10, 2015. This event will be held in conjunction with the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs (FRP Canada) and will call together program workers, clinicians, practitioners, managers, and researchers from across...
A WEEKEND AWAY FOR DADS THAT HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN
We are a group of dads with children that have special needs. We get together once a year for a getaway weekend at Easter Seals Camp Woodeden in London On. This year Dads Camp will be on September 19th to 21st 2014. We are always looking for more dads to join us for a great time. The weekend is for dads only (sorry no kids). The cost for...
The New Dad Manual – A source of limitless insight and information
The New Dad Manual is developed by fathers for fathers. Being a new dad can be overwhelming, confusing, intimidating, tiring, but also amazing and really exciting. The site answers your basic questions about babies, new moms and new dads. There's also information on everything from diaper changes, comforting babies, sleep, car seats, changes to...
Does Fatherhood Make Your Brain Bigger?
Until recently nearly all human research on the neural effects of parenting has been focused on mothers. But a new paper published by researchers at the University of Denver and Yale are changing that. By scanning the brains of dads in the first two weeks of infancy and then again 12 to 16 weeks later a comparison was made. Amazingly, the second...
How to Be a Great Sports Dad and Give Your Kids Confidence
Being a sports dad is an incredibly rewarding experience. It takes a lot of effort to be a great sports dad though. We all are striving to be great dads or you wouldn’t be here on Dad Central. Keep these tips in the back of your mind and you’ll be a better sports dad for it.
Proven Practices to Improve as a Dad with JT Tsui
In this conversation we talk with JT Tsui, a coach, leader, and host of “The Huddle” about his journey through fatherhood. JT’s mission is to help others identify what is possible and then take action towards achieving it.
How to Financially Prepare for Your Child’s Future
As a parent, you want your child to have every opportunity in life. Part of that is making sure that you’ve set them up for financial success down the road. But in the day-to-day hubbub of being a parent, it’s easy to just want to get through today and worry about tomorrow later.
How Our Plans For Our Children Change Over Time
I know that it’s not just me. The moment I became a dad and even before I became a dad, I had all these amazing ideas, plans and values for this little human I helped to create.