Patrick Mitchell Twenty some-odd years ago I learned how to overcome public-speaking anxiety during the initial moments when audience eyes fell upon me. The trick, I discovered, was getting people to look away while I pulled myself together. My method was throwing colorful, plastic balls around the room and asking people to throw them to each other. … Read more
If you want more dads and grandpas involved this February, get them “locked and loaded” in the fall! Do these four things as soon as possible to involve more dads and grandpas: TIP # 1: Raise the Bar at “Intake” Tell your new dads that you “expect” their active participation this year. Make it seem … Read more
Dads and Doctors August 1, 2013Uncategorized I talked recently with Terrence Neff, MD, an Idaho pediatrician and father of three who says that modern dads would probably be criticized if they parented like their own dads did. Dr. Neff told me that his father used to drop him off alone in the woods to hunt … Read more
Everyone knows great teachers don’t always get our full support in their quest to educate our children, and this is doubly true for educators of children under age six. Maybe it’s easier to allocate limited funds to the education of older children because they’re capable of telling a more compelling narrative about what they’re learning … Read more
I’ve been praising my kids’ “effort” and I’ve avoided saying “Good job!” lately, having read good research showing that children do better and achieve more when they concentrate on putting forth great effort in the things they do—in school, sports, and other endeavors—and that over-praising kids when they put forth lackluster effort can actually hinder … Read more
I’ve spent many a lunch hour standing on the school playground watching fourth and fifth graders play soccer. From my vantage point on the sidelines I see children jumping rope, playing foursquare, and tossing a football in the distance. Occasionally two kids will get into an almost-fight on the soccer field—you know, the kind of … Read more
Research on father involvement has helped shape a mountain of perceptions about what it takes for a family, and a society, to fully care for its members. By now most of us have heard these facts: Children without involved fathers can experience an increased risk of growing up poor, getting into trouble with the law, … Read more
I interview dads monthly for the National Dads Matter!™ Project that I founded many years ago and facilitate today, giving fathers and grandfathers a voice and visible presence in their local communities. Just about every day I see a father and his kids—sometimes a dad and his very young children—and I make sure to talk … Read more
Now is a great time to set goals for father engagement in the new year! What are three things you want to do with, or for, the children you care for at home and/or the children you teach at school if you’re an educator? Talk with other dads if you’re a father, and talk with … Read more