With Father’s Day approaching, it’s a great time to focus on the many benefits of a strong dad-kid relationship. It’s also a good time to acknowledge that while in many families fathers today are taking on active parenting roles, there are still lots of families where dad is struggling to find a role, and families where dad is, at best, an occasional figure.

I know that like me, many of you who work in family support have witnessed all too often the fallout that can occur when fathers are absent, or when domestic violence or mental health issues threaten to tear families apart or compromise children’s’ healthy development. Finding ways to support families, and fathers, in these extremely challenging situations can sometimes be daunting.
 
It is our responsibility to look for the positive qualities — the strengths that each father (or other male figure) brings to their family — and to help everyone in the family to recognize and to acknowledge that contribution. Almost every father (with the obvious exception of  those men who abuse or are otherwise destructive to their families), has something great to offer their children.
 
Here are some ideas for supporting fathers to create or maintain strong, caring roles in their families, regardless of his circumstances… Read More

(source: www.bccf.ca )