Fatherhood doesn't mean the same thing to everyone.
While father can be defined as "a male parent," fatherhood is generally defined as "a lifelong responsibility," but what that looks like is likely to differ from family to family. It is reasonable to anticipate similarities within a culture, however.
Despite variations from one family to another, becoming a father will change an individual's lifestyle, if done correctly. When I adopted a son in my early 20s, my lifestyle as a single father was easily distinguishable from my lifestyle as a single young man, although it may have differed from others.
Fatherhood is a responsibility, an obligation, a privilege, and a lifestyle. Being a father means different things to different people. It may involve being a role model, a mentor, a provider, a protector, and a friend. However, the simple act of fathering a child does not make one a father, at least not in any meaningful sense.
Fatherhood involves being there for your children in the healthiest way. It means being involved in your children's lives, emotionally engaged, supportive, and physically available. Fathers should have influence over decisions made for their children. Fatherhood isn't always fun, but it can and should be rewarding.
The traditional way to experience fatherhood is to father a child. However, many people who father children have little or nothing to do with them afterward, except perhaps to make the obligatory child support payments. The real fathers of these children might be stepfathers or adopted fathers. Fatherhood isn't necessarily biological.
It's fair to assume that the meaning of fatherhood has changed considerably through the generations. In the not-so-distant past, fathers were often viewed as distant figures whose primary roles were to provide for their families. While many families continue to operate under such customs, today's fathers are more likely to take on active and personal roles when it comes to raising their children. In some ways, a father's contemporary role incorporates many aspects of motherhood. Commonly, modern fathers are less afraid to show emotion and more comfortable showing affection to their children. This is not true in all cultures or in all families, however.
Topics related to fatherhood, particularly the changes in an individual's lifestyle that occur when fatherhood is done right.
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The non-profit organization was founded in 2000 to promote active and involved fathering, and to address issues caused by fatherlessness in Singapore. The community-based organization offers father-child experiential programs, shared parenting talks, and fathering workshops conducted in schools, prisons, companies, and organizations. Its organizational structure is set forth, and its programs and workshops are outlined, including its "Dads for Life" and "Mums for Life" programs.
https://fathers.com.sg/
Offered by the National Fatherhood Initiative, the Father Engagement Academy is an on-demand training program for fatherhood and family practitioners in direct-service organizations of all kids. The Academy provides courses for social workers, family program managers, case managers, or volunteers who want to offer a fatherhood program, and which are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to engage fathers in any community setting. Courses are featured here.
https://www.fatherhoodpractitioners.org/
Launched in 1999, the Fatherhood Institute is a UK charity that seeks to create a society that values, prepares, and supports men in their roles as involved fathers and caregivers to their children. Focusing on research, policy initiatives, and publishing research reviews, the organization takes part in new studies, tests promising family interventions, and trains practitioners in perinatal, early years education, and social care services. Its services and contacts are featured on the site.
https://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/
Founded by Patrick M. Houser and Elmer Postle, the organization provides information and education for parents and childbirth professionals, including a book entitled "Fathers to Be Handbook," subtitled "A Road Map for the Transition to Fatherhood," which may be purchased in US and UK editions online, along with several other products. Its philosophy, professional resources, webinars, and other events are included. An informational blog is also available.
http://www.fatherstobe.org/
Created by Bruce Linton, Ph.D., marriage and family therapist and author of the audiobook "Fatherhood, the Journey from Man to Dad," the website offers online support and advice for new fathers, online support groups for new and expectant fathers, and advice for couples with young children, in part through FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom video conferencing. His books are highlighted on the site, and an online contact form is available, along with an introduction to the site author.
https://fathersforum.com/
Alec Lace hosts First Class Fatherhood, a podcast focused on fatherhood and family life. Designed to encourage fathers to fulfill their roles to the best of their ability, the host interviews high-profile fathers, each striving to fulfill their roles as fathers and wanting to encourage all dads to do the same. Episodes are featured on the site and may be listened to through a variety of platforms. Reviews and ratings of the show are posted, and sponsorship opportunities are available.
https://www.firstclassfatherhood.com/
NCF is a non-profit organization whose goal is to inspire and equip fathers, grandfathers, and father figures to be actively involved in the lives of their children, largely through research, training, programs, and resources to help men become the fathers their children need. The NCF offers a research-based program called "7 Secrets of Effective Fathers." Its website introduces NCF's organizational structure and includes a large library of fathering resources and research data.
https://fathers.com/
National Fatherhood Initiative
The NFI is a non-profit organization interested in improving the well-being of children through the promotion of responsible fatherhood. Headquartered in Maryland, the NFI's mission is to increase the proportion of children with involved, responsible, and committed fathers. Its history, impact, and organizational structure are set forth, along with research data, fatherhood programs, training, opportunities for collaboration, and free resources for fathers.
https://www.fatherhood.org/
National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse
The NRFC is an Office of the Family Assistance (OFA) funded national resource for fathers, practitioners, programs, federal grantees, states, and the public at large. Its goals are to provide, facilitate, and disseminate current research and strategies to encourage and strengthen fathers, families, and providers of services. Resources for fathers, programs, events, and research data are set forth, along with a blog. The content is also available in Spanish.
https://www.fatherhood.gov/
Native American Fatherhood & Families Association
Founded in 2002, and based in Arizona, NAFFA is a non-profit organization that provides programs to strengthen families through responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Its four signature criteria are as follows: Fatherhood and motherhood are sacred, Linking generations by strengthening relationships, Addressing family violence and abuse, and Suicide prevention. Each of these is featured here, and resources are available through its online store, and an event calendar is included.
https://www.nativeamericanfathers.org/
Created by the National Fatherhood Initiative, ProFathering is a training course that teaches men how to be good fathers through fifteen important fatherhood topics relevant to any father, each of which can be completed in about fifteen minutes. In each topic, the program combines important information to learn with an inspirational video that is followed by questions. Once enrolled, students have thirty days to complete the online class. Online enrollment is available.
https://profathering.fatherhood.org/
