When most people think of parenting books and websites, they typically picture mothers looking for help in raising their children. But a growing number of dads are looking for resources that are relevant to them.
The “fatherhood movement” has drawn attention to the importance of dads in raising healthy, happy children. A 2007 Canadian study by the Centre for Families Work and Well-Being titled “The Effects of Father Involvement: An Updated Research Summary of the Evidence” showed that children of involved fathers did better in school and had higher levels of economic and career achievement than those with absent fathers. Father involvement is also linked to better social development, a decreased risk for depression and drug abuse and a child’s overall satisfaction in life.
Paul Banas is the CEO & Founder of GreatDad.com, a leading parenting site for dads. In an email interview with Suite101, Banas said there are several reasons dads are more involved in their children’s lives than they were 10 years ago:
“The post-9/11 world reinforced the importance of family and insecurities in the world we live in,” Banas said.
Also, the corporate world has changed dramatically in recent years. Men no longer work the same job for 40 years and retire. They often change jobs several times throughout their career.
“That means heightened awareness of the only loyalty that really matters in the world, which is to your family,” he said.
Banas added that the recession has impacted male-dominated industries such as manufacturing more than female-dominated industries such as the service industry and health care. This has forced more men to become stay-at-home dads.
Finally, gender roles have changed, and many women and men no longer feel the absent father role is acceptable.
“The new mom demands that dad change diapers and be there for the school play, but the new dad also doesn't want to miss these important events in his own life as he sees them to be more important than his second life at work,” Banas said.
Because of the increase in father involvement in recent years, many resources have become available that are geared toward dads. Here are a few of the most popular parenting books and websites for dads.
Parenting Websites: Support for Fathers
Moms make up the audience for most parenting websites, so it’s often difficult for dads to find online content geared toward them. Here are a few sites specifically for dads:
National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (Fatherhood.gov): This site is run by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and features valuable information about the importance of being an involved father as well as a list of state programs for dads.
National Fatherhood Initiative (Fatherhood.org): This nonprofit was founded in 1994 to confront the problem of absent fatherhood in America. It offers a variety of articles and educational resources.
GreatDad.com: This site is designed for dads, by dads. It features a variety of unique articles from a father’s perspective.
Strong Fathers-Strong Families (StrongFathers.com):This training organization works with schools and churches as well as programs such as Head Start to provide education to fathers about the importance of family.
Mr. Dad (MrDad.com): This site was created by Armin Brott, the author of seven bestselling books on fatherhood. It features the Ask Mr. Dad advice column as well as links to other dad websites.
Parenting Books for Dads
According to Banas, fathers read parenting books differently from mothers, so it’s important for dads to find books written from their perspective.
“Dads tend to read parenting books to get answers to specific questions as they come up, rather than for general information,” Banas said. “They also consume less in terms of books and magazine because few books and magazines are written with the dad reader in mind.”
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker (Ballantine Books, 2007, ISBN: 0345499395): Although this book was written by a woman, it explains how important a father’s relationship with his daughter is.
Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden (Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN: 0743251547): This “man’s guide” to taking care of a newborn features such useful chapters as “Rigging Emergency Diapers” and “Removing a Foreign Object from the VCR.”
The Father Connection: How You Can Make the Difference in Your Child's Self-Esteem and Sense of Purpose by Josh McDowell (B&H Books, 2008 ISBN: 0805447423): For dads looking for Christian approach to parenting, this book provides 10 positive qualities that good fathers can instill in their children.
No matter what resources a father chooses, what’s important is his relationship with his children. These books and websites will give dads some support in being a major part of their children’s lives.
Kari Lomanno - Kari Lomanno is a high school English teacher and mother of two children ages 9 and 7. She lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with her husband ...
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