Being dad
Fathers are important for children so don't cop out and leave the parenting to the children's mother.
The kids need you to be involved in their lives - as an active participant.
Be a person that your children can play with and talk to; someone who listens sympathetically and understands their dreams; someone they can look up to as a role model. Be actively involved from pregnancy through into adulthood and make a lifelong commitment to be there for your children.
Fathers have a distinctive contribution to make as a parent. They provide children with many life skills as well as a sense of who they are and where they belong in the world. A father feels physically different to the infant than the mother. He has his own way of playing with the older child, and he brings a different perspective on things to the teenager.
Being a father is the most important role a man can undertake in life and yet it is not one we are trained for.
Further links:
- Be there from the beginning
- A time for talking
- Tips on getting closer to your children
- Living apart from your children
- Dads and daughters
- Support
- Fathering - being the best dad you can be - An article by Raising Children in New Zealand.



