Prioritize fatherhood. Some dads worry that by emphasizing family so much they will lose their edge at the workplace and not be as competitive for positions as those who lack family ties or neglect them. Research doesn’t support that fear. Plan your work around your family. Decide that father-child time is not negotiable, but work time is. With calendar or planner in hand schedule 2 first the activities of your children, the school concerts, the one-on-one times, then write in your work obligations.

Get involved with your child from the beginning. Remember, there is nothing you can’t do for a baby except breast-feeding. And even if your wife is breast-feeding, you can still establish a role for yourself: bathing, burping, comforting and taking the baby out for a walk.

Learn the fatherhood craft. Keep up with the language of child rearing. Talk to other dads informally or in support groups or parenting classes. Read articles and books about good fathering. A list of resources is found at the end of this publication. In too many families, the woman becomes the ”expert” and Dad feels excluded. Don’t let that happen to you.

Have regular one-on-one time w1111 each child. Sometimes it’s fun to talk while you’re doing errands or making home repairs, but be sure that there are times that you turn off the TV, put down the newspaper, and give your kids your undivided attention.

Schedule a daddy-daughter or daddy-son date occasionally. Go out to eat a favorite meal or to do an activity the child enjoys. Sit with them occasionally just before bed and talk about how the day went.

Show affection often. Even if older kids seem squeamish, kids enjoy a hug and encouraging words now and then from their dad. With the older kids you may want to do this in private, though, rather than in range of their friends.

Take kids to work. This is a neat way to teach them about the world of work that you are a part of. Take kids with you on business trips when possible.

Stay connected when you have to be away. Sometimes work takes dads out of town. Set up a routine to stay connected. Some families schedule a specific time Dad will call that is convenient for all members of the family. When you return, bring home something special for the kids. It need not be extravagant. My younger children have been thrilled to receive wing pins from an airline.

Teach them. No dad has every gift or skill. Kids may lend certain things from other males in their lives. Use opportunities to share your talents. In my family, I lack mechanical ability, but I have passed on the gift of music through providing piano and drum lessons to my children.

Connect with your child at all levels. Make sure you have some contact with every aspect of your child’s life. Visit the school, meet the teacher and kids and have at least fleeting contact with an after-school activity. If you have seen where your children are and met their friends, you will have more to talk about and more interesting conversations. Parent involvement during children’s schooling is critical to their school success. Work with your employer to see that your work schedule doesn’t preclude your involvement in your child’s schooling.