6 Ways Fathers Can Emotionally Connect with Their Children
"A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all." ~ Washington Irving
This quote by Washington Irving doesn't paint a very nice picture in relation to fathers. Although I don't think this can be applied to all families and all fathers, it definately rings true for a lot of peopIe in this world. It is no secret that our nation suffers from a fatherhood crisis. The National Fatherhood Initiative, referencing the US Census Bureau, reports that 1 out of 3 kids live in a biological father-absent home.
As a marital and family therapist, it is not uncommon for me to facilitate father-absent family therapy. Sometimes fathers are not in the picture, and other times they simply refuse to join in on the counseling experience. Many of you fathers reading this might be thinking, “This doesn’t apply to me. I haven’t left my family.” Well, "being there" doesn’t only mean physical presence, it also means emotional presence; and emotional presence is often easier said than done.
Below are 6 tips that I believe can be extremely helpful for fathers as we work to be an emotional presence for our children.