Fatherhood 101

8/3/2019 Fatherhood 101

1/43

www.mnfathers.org

Fatherhood 101

The following slide presentation was developed by the Minnesota

Fathers & Families Network as a resource for non-profit leaders,government staff, educators, and other fatherhood advocates.

It is our hope that groups will use this presentation to increase father-

friendliness in local communities.

Talking points are included with each slide. A brief bibliography is

provided at the end.

Feel free to copy and edit, as needed. We ask that you cite the

Minnesota Fathers & Families Network on each slide. Noncommercial

uses are permitted.

Thank you for your work to expand healthy fatherhood.

-Minnesota Fathers & Families Network, St. Paul

May 2010


2/43

www.mnfathers.org

Fatherhood 101

Engaging dads as

assets for our

families and

community


3/43

www.mnfathers.org

What well cover:

Why fathers matter

5 factors that impact father involvement

Suggestions for you and your agency to

increase healthy father involvement


4/43

www.mnfathers.org

What do we know about dads?

Who are dads in our

community?

What are their needs?What are their hopes and

dreams?

Flickr photo by bass_nroll, some rights reserved, no derivative works, attribution required, 2009.


5/43

Hidden in

Plain Sight:

Enormous

Untapped

Unseen

Natural

Resource

www.mnfathers.org


6/43

www.mnfathers.org

Healthy

Father

Involvement

Child

Well-being

Community

Development

Gender

Equity

Mens

Development

Do fathers

matter?


7/43

Positive father involvement leads to

increased ________________________

for children.

Higher verbal skills

Higher scores onstandardized tests

Increased competence in math for girls Increased IQ in boys

cognitive capacities

Kyle Pruett, Fatherneed, 2000

www.mnfathers.org


8/43


increased ________________________for children.

More curious. Increased exploration

of the world around them.

Less hesitant or fearful in new situations. Greater tolerance for stress and frustration.

More willing to try new things.

problem solving abilities



9/43


increased ________________________for children.

More secure attachment

More social / outgoing Less gender role stereotypingMore generous / aware of

others needsHigher self esteem Less impulsive

social competencies



10/43

www.mnfathers.org

Positive father involvement

benefits men and women

Men gain greater emotional literacy.

Men gain greater ability to care & nurture.

Men demonstrate higher civic engagement.

Mother-child attachment increases.

Mother & father stress decreases.

Institutional barriers for parents decrease.


11/43

www.mnfathers.org

5 factors that impact a fathers

involvement withhis child

The Community

His Family of Origin

Father-MotherRelationship

Father-ChildRelationship

Father


12/43

www.mnfathers.org

(Factor 1) Individual(Factor 1) Individual

characteristics of fatherscharacteristics of fathers Fathers personal characteristics (age,

resources, race/ethnicity/culture, location)

Self-concept Beliefs


13/43

www.mnfathers.org

One of the

biggestbarriers for

fathers is

their ownlack of

belief in the

value of

fathering.


14/43

www.mnfathers.org

How many

U.S. dads& stepdads

say:

B) 50%

A) 25 %

C) 66%

D) 75%

My relationship

with my daughter

is either good orexcellent.

2004 Dads & Daughters Roper Poll


15/43

www.mnfathers.org

How many

U.S. dads &stepdads

say:

B) 50%

A) 25 %

C) 66%

D) 75%

2004 Dads & Daughters Roper Poll

My active

involvement in her

life is NOT key toher health and well-

being.


16/43

www.mnfathers.org

How many

U.S. dads

think they are

replaceable by

other men:

B) 29%

A) 7%

D) 73%

C) 57%

Pops Culture Survey, National Fatherhood Initiative 2006

A teacher or a family

friend could

substitute for me inmy daughters life.


17/43

www.mnfathers.org

How many

U.S. dads

think they are

replaceable by

th

e moth

er:

C) 69%

A) 37%

D) 83%

B) 53%

Pops Culture Survey, National Fatherhood Initiative 2006

My daughters are

going to be fine

without me; as long astheir mom is around.


18/43

www.mnfathers.org

How many

U.S. momsthink they are

replaceable:

B) 29%

C) 57%

D) 73%

A) 7%

Motherhood Study, 2005Flickr photo by Ozone_Ferd, some rights reserved, attribution required, no derivative works, 2005.

My contribution isnt that

unique for my sons.

Other caring adultscould replace me.


19/43

(Factor 2) Father-child

relationsh

ip quality Fathers parenting skills

Types of activities fathers engage in with their kids

Father-child bond

Flickr photo by sfbike, some rights reserved, noncommercialwork, attribution required, no derivative works, 2007.


20/43

TAG: Instructions: Dads,

Please Read Carefully BeforeRaising Child

This is a baby. It needs you. It

needs your love, your touch, andyour time. Spend lots of time withit. Build a bird house. Read a book.Go for a walk. Do homework. Play.The more time you spend, the

better chance it has of growing uphappy and healthy. It grows veryquickly. Pay attention. Neverunderestimate the difference you

make. It takes a man to be a dad.www.mnfathers.org


21/43

www.mnfathers.org

Lets think

about it

What are ways that our community supports dads toengage with young children?

Could we do a better job of promoting men as assetsfor our children?

Whose job is it to change/expand how dads connect

with their kids?


22/43

www.mnfathers.org

Encourage dads to ask:

Do I know her/his 3 best friends?How am I

doing as

her/his dad?

What arehis/her current

interests?


23/43

www.mnfathers.org

(Factor 3) Father-mother

relationship

Relationship status (married, separated, divorced,

never married, etc.)

Extent to which

pregnancies are

welcomed

Quality of couple

interaction


24/43

The Involved Father

Mens attitudes about fatherhood are changing:

30 years agomen said the most important fatherhood rolewas being the provider.

Nowmen say the most important fatherhood role is being a

caregiver or being actively present.

from breadwinner to nurturer

www.mnfathers.org


25/43

Mens relationships in families are

also changing

Percentage of US births to unmarried parents

29%


26/43

What do we know about unmarried

families?

At the time of birth, most unmarried new parents

are committed to one another and have high

hopes of raising their child together:

82%were romantically involved

About 4 out of 5 fathers contributedfinancially during pregnancy and attended

the birth

McLanahan, Garfinkel, Reichman, & Teitler, 2004

www.mnfathers.org


27/43

Unmarried father involvement

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

At birth Year 1 Year 3Year 5

75%

63%

47%43%

Percent of fathers who had seen their child at some

time in the past month.

Involvement at birth may be 82% or higher.


28/43

Unmarried fathers

rely on a goodfather-mother

relationship

Father-mother relationship predicts father-childrelationship

Positive co-parenting is the strongest predictorof nonresident father involvement

Flickr photo by ex.libris, citation required, noncommercial, no derivative works, 2007.


29/43

Fathers contribute positively

even when t

hey are nonresident

Child support is the 2nd largest source of income

for poor families when it is received.

Children with highly involved nonresident fathers

leave foster care more quickly.

Highly involved nonresident father have a much

lower likelihood of maltreatment allegations.

Federal Office ofChild Support Enforcement (2010); What About the Dads and MoreAbout the Dads Study, US Dept ofHealth andHuman Services (2006 ) and (2008)

www.mnfathers.org


30/43

www.mnfathers.org

(Factor 4) Dads parents

and family of origin


31/43

Fathers grew up as boys

How can thisbe a barrier to

healthy

fatherhood?

How can you

use this as astrength for

men?

www.mnfathers.org


32/43

The silent man

YOU may hear

the first words heutters about his

father life.

Have reasonable

expectations.

www.mnfathers.org


33/43

www.mnfathers.org

(Factor 5) The community

Social support

Work environment/unemployed

Child support/financial obligations

Custody, parenting time


34/43

Social stereotypes


35/43

www.mnfathers.org

Resources used by Fathers

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Family*

Wife / partner

Friends

Dad's groups / HeadStart / ECFE

Books / reading materials

Internet

Health care providers

Teachers / helping professionals

Religion / Bible

Find out on own

Co-workers

Age 5-12

Age 0-4

Percent of respondents


36/43

We each take roles erecting or

breaking barriers for fathers

Stereotypes that prevent us from seeing theindividual

Belief that I can show him/her a better way Harm inflicted by my father/stepfather

Communication differences between men & women

Lack of experience/training working with fathers

Not valuing fathers

Adapted from Denise Konen, Working with Fathers, 1992

www.mnfathers.org


37/43

Moving to Action

Educating ourselvesabout healthy fatherhoodis only step 1.

Now, we each need tothink about our individual

roles in creating a culturethat embraces men asassets for our childrenand families.

www.mnfathers.org


38/43

www.mnfathers.org

Hierarchy of father involvement

Level 1: Achieve father awareness

Level 2: Achieve father friendliness

Level 3: Achieve father inclusiveness


39/43

Concerns and skepticism

If dads cared, they would be involved.

Kids are fine without more father engagement.

Its just more work to involve dads in our agency.We dont have a father-problem here. Thats a

(Metro; urban; rural; EastCoast; minority; tribal;low-income) problem.

Have you heard other reasons for missing out on ourcommunitys father-resource?

www.mnfathers.org


40/43

www.mnfathers.org

Tips: What works with dads

Make sure fathers feel invited

Approach dad with focus on

child

Start with strengths of fathers Offer physical activities for

child and father

Capitalize on mens interests

Others?


41/43

Success stories

In order to start change, its best to take small steps.

Whats one small thing you will do to increase

father involvement in your agency?

Share your successes regularly with others. Each

small success story can inspire another!

www.mnfathers.org


42/43

For Professionals: www.mnfathers.org

The statewide Minnesota Fathers & Families

Network is your one-stop shop:

Educational resources

Trainings Conferences & Networking

Public Policy

News about fathers & fatherhood field

Become a member or join their

email list-serve for free.


43/43

www mnfathers org

Selected Bibliography

Fatherneed, Kyle Pruett. 2000.

Supporting Fathers Engagement with Their Kids,Chapter 3,in RAISINGCHILDREN: Emerging Needs, Modern Risks, andSocial Responses, Edited by Jill Duerr Berrick and Neil

Gilbert (2008).Chapter 3 is by Philip Cowan,Carolyn PapeCowan, NancyCohen,Marsha Kline Pruett, and Kyle Pruett.

Fragile Families andChild Wellbeing Study:

www.fragilefamilies.princeton.edu

This PowerPoint is made available through the Minnesota Fathers & Families

Network. Noncommercial uses permitted; attribution required; 2010, St. Paul,

MN, www.mnfathers.org.

Contact us at info@mnfathers org or call (651) 222-7432

Fatherhood 101

Documents

Transcript of Fatherhood 101