Are any dads watching?
- The asymmetry of parenthood
- Dads are doing more, but we have a way to go
Stereotypes get in the way
- Dads get criticised and bypassed!
- Stale male roles
Why do Dads hold back?
- We are scared.
- We don’t feel equipped
- We even wonder if we should even be involved
But if men step back
- Everyone loses!
- Dad’s do add something extra to the mix
What can Dads bring
- Dads are the link to wider world
- Adventure, risk and fun
Role models for boys
- Handling anger
- Respect for themselves and women
The most important stages
- When testosterone doubles
- When it’s all testosterone
- Becoming a man
Dads and daughters
- Why we get on so well with our little girls, but teens are difficult
- Her self esteem
- Her expectations of future mates
Start Early- My experience
Touch and carry your baby
- Work out together
- Dads are carefully rough!
- Shoulder rides
- Dads can be burpmeisters
Special heroes – offer to do the graveyard shift
- A special time
- A short time
- An act of love to your partner
Read the sports news to them
- Baby’s love your voice
- Books
- Stories
- Songs
- Anything!
Don’t be afraid of feeling emotions
- Empathy: feeling what they feel
- Welcome to a whole new realm of distressing emotions!
- Don’t mislabel your emotion as ‘anger’
Don’t be afraid of woman-realm
- Stay in touch
- Absent but involved
- Don’t be a Disneyland Dad
Stepchildren
- Hardest job… but can be immensely significant
- Step back for a long time
- Back the bio parent
- The big test: “Will you love my Mum?”
Being a creative Dad
- Radio controlled truck racing
- Crocodile hunting
- Bush walks
- Building together
- Water fights and rough and tumble
- Coaching their sports
- Boat
- Golf
- Sandcastles
- Fishing
- Cooking together
- Surfing
- Lego
- Gaming
- Messages in lunch box
- Dates
- Bedtime games, books and cuddles
Love your spouse
- The importance of mother-father relationship