Dear Mr. Dad: This Father’s Day is over, but what advice do you have keep dads involved every day?
A: As someone who spends a lot of time doing research on and writing about fathers—and even more time trying to be a good dad—I agree that the fact that the one day per year that’s dedicated to dads has passed doesn’t mean that dads are any less important the other 364 days of the year.
Duncan Fisher at the Family Initiative in the UK recently put together a Global Fatherhood Charter that clearly and eloquently lays out the many ways fathers are important to children and families as well as what men, women, and society can and should do to support them. Fisher had help from more than 20 child development and fatherhood researchers from around the world, many of whom have been inspirations to me, including Michael Lamb, Ross Parke, Phil and Carolyn Cowan, Rob Palkovitz, and Kyle Pruett. Here’s the text of the Charter:
- The loving care of a father is a foundation for his child’s wellbeing and creates a life-long relationship.
- The loving care of father can be as powerful and important as that of a mother.
