We are so pleased to see the overwhelming interest in our new area of focus: Fathers. We absolutely believe in the importance of fathers. We believe in the power of fatherhood to transform a man’s – and his children’s- lives.
We are excited to announce that we have released the first ever trauma-informed and gender-responsive fatherhood curriculum called AMAZING DADS!
Please give a listen to our Daddy Downloads a popular feature from Dan’s popular Man Rules Podcast, which we suspended in 2021. Here are the links for all four that have been released so far:
- WHAT ABOUT ME?
- DON’T GET MAD, GET GLAD
- CO-PARENTING TIPS FOR NEW DADS
- DEAR DAD: WRITE A LETTER TO TRANSFORM YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FATHER
Look for Dan’s forthcoming book (tentatively titled): Amazing Dads! Ten New Rules for Being a Dad in the 21st Century.
There is something amazing happening for fathers today! Have you noticed how men have a wonderful new permission to express themselves as fathers? Have you noticed how many have been so open about their deep care and love for their children? Have you noticed how open so many more men have been in their struggles and challenges in being the best fathers they can be? It is an amazing new conversation that we believe fathers have wanted to have permission for decades. We have raised the bar as a result. We have also increased the expectations for fathers and so it is our commitment to be a positive part of helping men meet those expectations and having compassion for them when they don’t.
We don’t need research to prove why it is important for fathers to be involved in their children’s lives. It is a given. The fact that there is even dialogue about or research to prove a father’s importance is the exact evidence of how lost our society is when it comes to understanding the critical role of fathers. We know the truth: All Dads Matter.
While our society has a lot of great things to say about fathers these days and loves the photo-ops and the great narratives that permeate our media, there is a shadow side to it all. Primarily, the systemic biases against fathers that run throughout “The Water” are significant. They go from the way courts are still deciding cases for moms and against dads almost by default to the complete lack of funding and policies focused on supporting fathers. Look most places still and you will see the individual ways that various programs and individuals talk about being moms and exclude dads, unintentionally but still reinforcing the idea that moms are the most important parent. Mom is the default. Dad is the add-on. And we wonder why some Dads feel like they don’t matter. And then it isn’t too long before they act like they don’t matter! But we know the truth: All Dads Matter.
Many dads don’t have the tools they need to truly be the fathers they want to be. We make a lot of mistakes. We may repeat some of our own fathers’ mistakes. But we must celebrate fathers. We know that our fathers were imperfect. We come to embrace our own imperfections in community with others not in isolation and in shame. We seek help as we commit to being the very best fathers we can be even when our fathers may not have been able. We commit to being a part of the solution and never giving up no matter how hard it gets. We know the truth: All Dads Matter.
** The title for this page comes from a great program in Merced County, CA called “All Dads Matter”
