{ Championing Fatherhood }

Educating and inspiring practitioners and staff in human service organizations.

Are You The Best Kind Of Parent?

Most Recent Fatherhood Posts

Aug 16, 2016

This post originally appeared on The Huffington Post.

If you’re a parent and self-reflect at all, you’ve undoubtedly wondered whether you’re a good parent. Perhaps you’ve wondered whether you’re the best kind of parent.

As someone who has spent his career helping parents, especially dads, to be the best parents they can possibly be, I can tell you there’s no shortage of opinions on what makes the best kind of parent.

are_you_the_best_kind_of_parent-1.jpg
To help parents answer that question, I look for two things:

  1. Research that provides evidence on what makes for the best parent.
  2. Simple ways to communicate the evidence.

What I find in short supply isn’t evidence so much as simple ways to communicate it.

That’s why I admire the ways in which best-selling author Daniel Pink communicates evidence related to all kinds of important topics, such as on what motivates humans and that we’re constantly involved in selling something. His talent is perusing research on a topic, distilling what the body (bulk) of the research says and sharing what the research says in ways that are easy to understand.

Recently, he’s started to communicate via “Pinkcasts” — short videos he records in his office and that he puts online. In one of his recent Pinkcasts, he illustrates with a clipboard and a 2x2 matrix what makes for the best parent. Rather than tell you what he says, click here to watch the 2-minute Pinkcast.

Then read the rest of this post.

Isn’t that a simple way to answer whether you’re the best parent — a wise parent? Sure. You have to unpack what it means to be supportive and demanding, the activities or actions associated with each characteristic. (To start unpacking them, I recommend reading the book he mentions.) But this simple way of answering the question provides a starting point for self-reflection. Knowing where to start is vital to any exercise in being the best parent you can be.

Are you a dad looking for help or are you interested in volunteering to help fathers and families? Please visit our Fatherhood Program Locator™ and enter your city and state on the map to find programs and resources in your community. 

This post originally appeared on The Huffington Post.

Topics: General Fatherhood Research & Studies

Subscribe to Championing Fatherhood

CTA-BG.jpg

Get the Father Engagement Resources You Need

Visit our Store