Fathering with purpose in family. What is that supposed to look like? It is hard to see when you are immersed in the busy-ness of life. “Providing and surviving” is how one dad put it. He said, “I work hard to provide for my family, try to make it to the kids’ activities and survive to do it over again tomorrow.”

Getting on top of all the busy-ness takes intentionality. It may require ...read on

The decision was to not even give his son a smart phone. The respected sources in his circles suggested putting off the purchase of the pocket computer for his kids until age 15 or 16. Then his ten-year-old son came home from school asking questions about female body parts. A boy on the bus had been showing pornography to other boys by way of his smart phone.

What is a dad to do? The option is not to ...read on

Eating meals on the run is the rule as a dad shuttles his sons between baseball and soccer practices. Mom picks their daughter up immediately after marching band practice to get her to play rehearsal at a community theatre. Then there are the piano and voice lessons, swimming and volley ball. Is it any wonder that couples often have to re-introduce themselves after kids leave the home?

The priority in family is ...read on

“You are not wearing that young lady!” Those were the first words spoken to his daughter that morning. She responded in anger and tears, ran back to her room and slammed the door. As breakfast got cold, his wife said, “You need to pick your battles.”

Dad certainly had every right to hold his daughter accountable for dressing appropriately. The important thing missing in this situation was ...read on