• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Fatherhood Factor

For all the "dealings" of dads...

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Guest Post?
  • Review?
  • Stats

National Fatherhood Initiative

What Are Your Priorities?

May 17, 2010 By Keagan Pearson 4 Comments

Assuming that most people reading this post have more than one facet to their lives, I feel its commonplace to say that it can be difficult to set our priorities accordingly.

As a dad, the real question for me is not whether I need to prioritize but rather what should my priorities look like?  Having been through a barrage of professional training courses and seminars that discuss priority setting, I am always interested in what people deem a priority.

For instance, I found a cross-linked article on the National Fatherhood Initiative site that was part of their work/family programming.  The article, written by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD, originated from Web MD and it focused on five tips to a better work/life balance.

Okay, it’s not a revolutionary approach I admit, but it is the simplistic nature of the first step that really got me thinking.  Mathis contends that we must start by figuring out what really matters to us in life.  How many dads out there have actually sat down and thought about what really matters most to us?  What are the elements of my life that are the non-negotiable’s?  Not only this, but what should my non-negotiable’s be?

In the article, Mathis encourages people to perform an exercise where they ask themselves, “If there was one thing that my life could focus on and one thing only, what would that be”?  She then instructs her clients to do the same thing until they have their top five priorities.  Given this exercise, what would your top five be?  Without ordering your priorities in a way that would garner the most respect, what would your list look like?

The challenge then becomes deciding whether or not you agree with the sequence.  You may find that your golf game really shouldn’t be infringing on your family time or that your career goals may need redesigned in order to accommodate your commitments at church.

For each father there is a time and a place when we come face to face with the nature of our character.  Although we may not be defined by what we do, we certainly display the priorities of our heart by how we spend our time.

Related articles by Zemanta
  • The 8 Core Priorities of Work/Life Balance (timesunion.com)
  • Marshall Goldsmith: Does What They Think About You Hold You Back? (huffingtonpost.com)
  • Do You Want A Balanced Life? (kevinwmccarthy.com)
Enhanced by Zemanta

Stop Hitting Your Sister!

April 22, 2010 By Keagan Pearson Leave a Comment

This whole time I thought that a screaming head slap was the way my kids were supposed to act out their frustration!

Okay, I am really not that ignorant, but the ease at which my girls employ this would seem as though I had trained them individually.  Thankfully, however, there are moments when hugs and kisses prevail.

But how do you encourage and further the good stuff?  While I sometimes like to kid myself that I am especially equipped to bring harmony and order to my children, it is normally a timely piece of advice that I find most useful…..hence the following little nugget.

During my reading efforts, I came across a short online article from the National Fatherhood Initiative that discussed a few practical things that can be done to settle common sibling squabbles.  This excerpt, taken directly from the website, can be put in to play right away.

They suggest that:

“Set Firm Rules and Clear Expectations. Whether you have one child or five, if your kids know the rules and know what is expected from them, they definitely won’t behave perfectly, but you will be able to point to clear, known standards. This will keep things fair and help you to show your children that that is your goal. Also, clear rules allow you to teach your kids your values and what is important to your family.

Get To Know Each Child.Your kids can sense if you have favorites and may act out accordingly. You may find yourself gravitating to one child who has similar interests. Or maybe you are avoiding time with your daughter because you’re just not sure how to relate to her. But, it is essential that you get to know each of your children – who they are, how they feel about different things, their interests, etc. This will also help you know how best to guide them as they grow.

Create Space. Sometimes, everyone just needs a little space. Give your children separate chores or take some out with you on an errand while everyone else stays home. Yes, it is important that you kids learn to work together, but sometimes a little space helps everyone calm down.

Don’t Try To Solve Everything. One of the great things about having siblings is it provides an opportunity for your kids to learn communication and conflict resolution. As your children get older – late elementary school and beyond – encourage them to work out their own grievances. Equip them with basic communications skills, help guide and facilitate conversations, but don’t always jump to fix it.“


You never know, this may just make you feel like you actually know what you’re doing!
Enhanced by Zemanta

Fathers in Training….Learn How to Impact Your Community.

March 14, 2010 By Keagan Pearson Leave a Comment

As a father, it seems obvious that the change we must first undertake is the change that we can institute in our own homes.  However, what can we do to take this kind of change to the streets?  The National Fatherhood Initiative is providing free webinar training for men that are looking to facilitate a fatherhood program in their community that is focused on decreasing domestic violence.  This training is meant to equip you to work with incarcerated fathers and ex-offenders of domestic violence.

While this may not be a something for a man that is without program experience, it is a great way to make connections for future program possibilities.  If you have experience with this kind of thing or if you are passionate about providing a forum to facilitate change, then here is your chance!

Enhanced by Zemanta

Copyright © 2009–2023 FatherhoodFactor.com · Powered by: LaunchBlot Media, LLC

  • Facebook.
  • Twitter.
  • Instagram.
  • YouTube.
  • LinkedIn.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT