DadTalk Blog

The DadTalk blog features insights from dads and Responsible Fatherhood practitioners from around the country. Its goal is to start conversations about important issues surrounding fatherhood and programs for fathers today.

Jan 21, 2014

The Spigner Family

The thought of adopting entered my mind one night when I was heading home from my office in DC. I was riding the bus and saw an ad with a father and three children across the aisle from where I was sitting. As soon as I saw that ad, something hit…

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Featured Authors

Kenneth Braswell

Executive Director; Project Director

Fathers Incorporated; National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

Rick Johnson

Founder and Director

Better Dads

Patricia Littlejohn

President

South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families

Results 1 - 10 of 285

Apr 16, 2021

Remembering Halbert Sullivan, A Visionary and Leader in the Work of Responsible Fatherhood

I, along with my team at the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, are saddened to announce the passing of our colleague and friend, Halbert Sullivan. Halbert made a notable impact in the work of Responsible Fatherhood (RF), most recently as the CEO of Fathers & Families Support Center (FFSC), and will be greatly missed.

As noted by Seth Chamberlain, Division Director, Office of Family Assistance, “Halbert wasn’t just a grantee in multiple RF cohorts. The federal Parents and Children Together evaluated his program and found it had strong, positive impact on…

Nov 11, 2020

Breast Cancer in Men

When people think of breast cancer, most often women come to mind. However, men also get breast cancer. For men, the lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is about 1 in 833.The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2020, about 2,620 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer—breast cancers that have spread into surrounding breast tissue—and about 520 men will die from breast cancer. While that percentage is small compared to women who suffer from breast cancer, it is still a real…

Oct 9, 2020

We Rise by Lifting Others: Coping with My Father’s Absence

My parents were teenagers when they had me. An only child, I grew up feeling like I was a mistake because of the stories I heard. Neither of my parents had the skills, knowledge, or wherewithal to parent successfully. They could not provide the parental, economic, or household stability a child needs to flourish. Nonetheless, my mother, despite her age, the damage she survived, and lack of resources, did her best. My father’s story was different. He was incarcerated on and off from the time he was a juvenile. By the time I was born, he had already developed an addiction to alcohol and…

Aug 13, 2020

Parental Burnout: It's Real and It's Manageable

Summer is winding down, which normally is a time for parents when kids are wrapping up summer activities such as vacations, camps, and outings and preparing for the new school year. However, you and the kids have been home since March. You may be feeling overloaded because you have been trying to balance work, home life, childcare, and homeschooling--all while navigating the added stress and anxiety of this “new normal” and uncertain future. It’s understandable if you may be feeling a bit burned out, and don’t worry, you most certainly are not alone! In a…

Jul 25, 2020

The Work-Life Balance of a Work-from-Home Dad

I’m often asked how I balance life and family since I am a work-from-home dad. The truth is, it isn’t always easy. I never imagined a day would come when my role as a provider for my family would put a strain on the perceptions I have regarding what it means for me to be a good father. Growing up, being a responsible father had a singular, clear-cut definition--the unspoken expectation that being a provider and being a good dad were the same thing. This is no longer my definition of a good dad.

The “bread-winner only dad” perception was challenged for me in November 2013. While…

Jul 14, 2020

Finding My Father: How I Found My Father Using Online DNA Matching

When I was a child, I resented the fact that I didn’t know who my father was and that he wasn’t in my life. My mother and father had gone their separate ways before I was even born. What made things even harder as a child was that my mother could only share limited details about who my father was with me. In fact, the only information I ever knew was that his last name was Graham, that he was African American, a veteran, and very tall.

In my 20’s, I began to realize that not knowing about my father was taking a toll on me, and I felt a strong sense that it was time to look for…

Jun 18, 2020

The Profound Magic of Father Involvement

My daughters, ages 6 and 3, love Frozen. No, seriously, they love, emulate, and want nothing more than to be the sisters Elsa and Anna from the Disney Frozen franchise.

I had no idea how alluring the magic of Frozen was. The first movie arrived in theaters in 2013, 6 months prior to my first daughter’s arrival. Suffice it to say, I didn’t see it--I thought I was an adult and had put away childish things. I remember hearing that Queen Elsa was the top kids costume for Halloween in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and I thought, What’s the big deal? It’s just a princess with the power to…

Jun 15, 2020

Father’s Day 2020: Launch of the NRFC Virtual Collaborative Community and the New Fatherhood.gov!

On June 21, the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) will launch its Virtual Collaborative Community (VCC) and redesigned Fatherhood.gov site. Practitioners will have new options for engaging with peers and keep up with the latest information in the Responsible Fatherhood field.

Virtual Collaborative Community

The NRFC Virtual Collaborative Community is here to help strengthen responsible fatherhood programs, practitioners, and all who work to support fathers, families, and children. As a…

May 26, 2020

The Importance of Play: How Fathers can Use Play to Promote Development

When thinking about play, a person may picture children having fun, using their imaginations, and passing time lightheartedly. While play is all of these things, it is also very important for a child’s development. In fact, play is so vital that it is recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child worldwide.

The act of play fosters a child’s development by providing opportunities to refine motor skills, solve problems, and take initiative while…

May 18, 2020

Raising Her Together, But Apart

It happened--the day that most young people look forward to their entire lives. Our daughter turned 21, and she could not have been happier. It’s a milestone that marks the day she became a legal adult. Her mother and I rejoiced for her. Not just because she “did it,” but because “we did it.”

When Nzinga was just a year and a half old, her mother and I separated. Like most romantic relationship endings, it wasn’t easy. My family, which I loved so dearly, was breaking up. Suddenly, I felt like a failure again. It was déjà vu all over; first the absence of my father for…

Featured Authors

Kenneth Braswell

Executive Director; Project Director

Fathers Incorporated; National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

Rick Johnson

Founder and Director

Better Dads

Patricia Littlejohn

President

South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families

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