I want to thank all of the fathers I have coached and who read my posts for being such wonderful dads and partners. Each of you has chosen to focus on your kids, and engage with them emotionally, socially, physically and mentally. What kids need most is our unconditional love and attention. Showing up with your full self makes a big difference in your kids’ lives.

For all of you, whether you are a father or partner to a father, or a daughter or son, June is a wonderful time to pause and appreciate the role fathers and male role models have played and can play in our lives. Fathers play an important role in helping children to feel safe, seen, and loved. 

 

Your hugs, encouragement, playfulness, listening, and showing up for your kids in countless way help your children become loving, confident, responsible, self-determined young people who believe in themselves. All the work you do to look at life from your child’s perspective, pause and connect, and cheer your child on helps your child learn how to be a person you are proud of and who you admire.

For a great blog on the researched importance of fathers in kids’ lives, check out this blog from Dr. Laura Markham of Aha Parenting. 

Want to read about the special bonds fathers can have with their children? Check out these books selected by PBS. 

Father’s Day can be painful, too. Here’s an opportunity for love and healing…

Some of us may not have known our fathers or have lost our fathers or perhaps we had difficult relationships with our fathers, so this day can be painful as well. Therefore, we need to find opportunities for healing. It can help to ponder what we need(ed) and want(ed) from our fathers and then to heal ourselves by offering those qualities to ourselves and to others, no matter who we are.

We can also heal by writing letters to our own children as a sort of “emotional insurance policy.” Check out this blog about a father passing on his love before his too-soon death and how to write a meaningful letter to your child or a loved one.

I wish you all a happy weekend and month of appreciating the fathers and male mentors you know and letting them know what a difference they make in the lives of others. 
 

Dad-published blogs and wisdom on being fathers to explore:


Two Father’s Day themed posts by a thoughtful and funny dad who has many helpful family-oriented blog posts. 

 

Here’s a great website for fathers with recorded workshops, helpful downloads, and other materials.


And lastly, here is a list of 15 of the best dad blogs according to a team of dad blog editors – Please note that I have not personally explored all of these blogs, but offer them in the spirit of sharing resources.


 


Who I serve: I coach parents from coast to coast in the US and internationally.  Thanks to Zoom, I am currently coaching parents from Boston to Seattle, Connecticut to California, as well as New York, Ohio, and Colorado. I’ve worked with parents in Bermuda, Japan, Portugal, and Canada as well. I’m grateful for these global and domestic connections!