Just about everything you could ever want to accomplish as a parent is tied to the relationship you have with your child. Whether you want to encourage good behaviour and judgement, teach skills or pass on good values, you won’t get far if you and your child don’t feel a sense of connection.
One of the main ways Dad Central supports dads and organizations is the creation of resources. Every year, thousands of materials are distributed through organizations that serve families. This is a summary of our top 5 resources that help dads.
When will we be able to put the “dads don’t babysit” comment to rest? What will it take to focus on the things dads do, as opposed to what they don’t do? The new paternity leave offered to dads in Canada is an opportunity to change this perception. Dads taking the 5 week “use-it-or-lose-it” leave will have ample opportunity to show the world that they are primary care-givers to their kids.
In my early years of parenting I saw my role as supporting my wife, bringing home a paycheque, and making sure the leak in the roof of our house (among other things) got fixed. Oh, I spent a lot of time alone with my daughter because my job was a contract and my wife went to work while I stayed home for 4 months of that first year. That was before fathers could take a share of the parental leave.
We’ve been hearing a lot in recent years about “erasing the stigma” and talking more openly about mental health issues. This is particularly important with regard to fathers of young children since men are not only at increased risk for depression in the postpartum period, but also less likely than mothers to seek help.
This month we focus our attention on supporting dads in developing healthy relationships. To get started, we focus on facts about the relationship with your partner as you become parents.