Parenting Information

A Call For Fathers


Dads, please let me encourage you to change some things in your life. A recent University study found that the average father in America spends less than sixty seconds per day in conversations with his children!

The actual number was 47 seconds per day. 

How in the world does that happen? Certainly we fathers love our children and want the best for them. So what does this study tell us about the focus of our investment in the lives of our children? Are we too focused on our work? Are we too focused on our paychecks?

What's with us men? Have we as fathers come to think that our kids really just need our money? I sure hope not.

Our children need us to look them in the eyes and talk with them. We need to actually be involved in the lives of our children and teens. We need to actively raise them, teach them, and shape their character and morals and values. We need to do these things on purpose, with a plan, with a focus. Parenting is a "hands on" activity.

So, spend time with your kids. Be available for your kids. Make your kids a major priority in your life. Protect your family. Be involved in your family.

Look at your personal definition of "success." My definition has become, "The progressive realization of moral, virtuous, or Godly goals."

Obviously this definition has little to do with how much money I earn, or how much status I attain in my profession. It has little to do with my children becoming sports stars or  validictorians (although they are both). Success has to do with character, relationships, and spiritual growth.

So fathers, please take the time to teach your children. Be role models for your teens. And spend more than 47 seconds each day in conversation with your children.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.


MORE RESOURCES:

New York Times (blog)

Creative Parenting | Family Crafting at the Ace Palm Springs
New York Times (blog)
Like a lot of creative parents these days, Karen Kimmel wants a plastic-free, junk-food-free, theme-park-free, all-things-tacky-free life for her family. ...



Parenting rather than mentoring
Dallas Morning News (blog)
Yes, this is a good idea and one that already is receiving much attention within DISD, but as a seventh-grade DISD teacher, I find our teens need parenting ...



Parenting without Facebook
ZDNet (blog)
As a parent to two teenagers and a pre-teen, the question to Facebook or not to Facebook has reared its ugly head. Too Facebook was starting to win out, ...



Workshop offers 21st-century parenting tips
Frederick News Post (subscription)
To help arm parents with information and resources, Linganore High School hosted Challenges Your Kids Face, a parent workshop, Thursday night. ...

and more »


Editorial: Parenting 101
Philadelphia Inquirer
Good parenting cannot be legislated - even with the threat of a $2500 fine or jail time to hold parents more accountable. The measure, proposed by State Sen ...

and more »


Parenting expert to speak at Pembroke Middle School
Pembroke Mariner & Reporter
By Anonymous “Adolescent Psychology – The Parent Version” will be the topic of a presentation by Joani Geltman, an expert in child development and ...



Parenting Special Needs Tweens: Movies
Examiner.com
Have a tween with sensory issues? There will be a Sensory Friendly Movie Event at the AMC Theater at Columbia Mall in Howard County. ...

and more »


Sweet fundraiser helps pregnant, parenting teens
KNPR
... which you can do at 392-7000. More information here. The non-profit SNCF assists homeless, pregnant, and parenting teens and young adults, ages 16-22.



Parenting Fair
UpperMichigansSource.com
The Dickinson Iron Health Department believes one of the ways to improve parenting is through education and opportunity. Both were offered at the 12th ...



Authors Debate The Merits Of Parenting Advice
NPR
Ada Calhoun, author of Instinctive Parenting, makes the case that children will turn out fine if parents simply trust their gut. But Po Bronson, co-author ...
Do We Parent By The Book Or By The Gut?NPR (blog)
Instinctive Parenting: Q and A with Ada CalhounTrue/Slant
Point: Close The Parenting Book, Trust Your InstinctsNPR
NPR
all 9 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006