Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work® Day April 25

For the 20th year in a row, workplaces across the country celebrate Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work® Day this Thursday, April 25.  I’m proud to serve on the TODATW national advisory board, and love this year’s theme: Work In Progress, which emphasizes the ever-changing nature of the participants as well as the time in which we live.

Administered by the national Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Foundation and held annually on the 4th Thursday in April, the national program encourages workers to take to their workplaces their children, grandchildren, nieces, neighbors' children, and "adopted" children for the Day. From such a simple concept has grown the largest U.S. public education campaign with more than 37 million participants at over 3.5 million workplaces.

Through various activities, Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day helps girls and boys discover the power and possibilities associated with education and work by connecting what youth learn at school with the actual working world and encouraging girls and boys across the country to dream without limitations and think imaginatively about their lives, work, and their future. They learn to dream big without the limitations of their everyday situations. "I'm working in the profession I'm in because of my attending several Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Days when I was young and kept dreaming-imagining about working and doing what I love," said a participant from several years ago. Another former participant grew up to work at the company where she participated.

Make sure you participate on Thursday!

Family Day Today

Today is "Family Day"--a day we should be eating a meal together with our children.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University sponsors the day because research consistently shows that having family meals together at home (without electronic distractions) is a powerful step in preventing drug abuse and other serious adolescent problems.  CASA asks parents to make the following committment:

S- Spend time with my kids by having dinner together
T- Talk to them about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol
A- Answer their questions and listen to what they say
R- Recognize that I have the power to help keep my kids substance free!

Do your part today--and every day--to be a positive force in your child's life!

Coaching for Men with a Loved One Fighting Eating Disorders

Does your loved one battle an eating disorder? Our next coaching group for men begins August 29 in San Rafael, CA, and runs 4 Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:30.

Past participants report substantial increase in their understanding of eating disorders and their confidence in dealing with them. They also report that the coaching help reduce their anxiety, fear, and frustration.

I loved this workshop. I was apprehensive beforehand, but it quickly became one of my favorite things of the week. I was so good to be among men who are open and honest and have similar struggles. I feel much less alone. I appreciate the knowledge, wisdom and caring of the facilitators. I learned facts and skills. I was reassured in some ways and guided in other ways to help our family member in recovery and myself. I highly recommend this workshop.

Join men’s expert and author Joe Kelly and eating disorders specialist Bridget Whitlow, LMFT for 4 weekly coaching sessions. Register now.

Another day-long coaching workshop runs from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday September 29 in Petaluma, CA.

Father Silence on Fathers Day

On this Fathers Day, remember that men today long to have good relationships with their children. But there have been generations of silence about what it means to be a father. We didn’t hear our own dads talk about it.

At my fathering workshops the most moving moment is when I ask, ‘How many of you feel like you’ve been changed as a man by having this daughter? Stand up if you can tell me one or two or three things that are different for you.’ Everyone in the room stands.

Then I ask, ‘Stand up if your father ever spoke to you about how he was changed as a man by you being his child.’ Sometimes no one stands, and rarely more than 3 men stand. That’s a very emotional moment.

So many of us dads never heard anything on the subject from our own fathers. That’s really sad. However, it’s also an opportunity to break that cycle of silence, and talk to other fathers (including our own) about it.

In the years before and since I wrote Dads & Daughters®: How to Inspire, Understand and Support Your Daughter, I've talked and/or corresponded in-depth with thousands of fathers.

Women are always startled to learn that about half of these men (most of whom I never met before) report that I am the first person they’d ever talked to in depth about fatherhood. Men aren’t surprised, because we’re so accustomed to father silence.

The good news? With only a handful of exceptions, the fathers I communicate with are articulate and passionate; we have a lot to say about the experience and importance of being a dad.

And while much of that may have gone unspoken until the moment of our conversations, those men and I quickly learned there’s real power in asking: "How are you changed as a person because you are a Dad?".

Summer Fatherhood & Healthy Families Institutes

Looking for ways to improve & connect services for families?

This summer, the Fathers & Families Coalition holds Fatherhood & Healthy Families Institutes this week (6/12) in Chicago, later this month in Denver, and July at Columbia University in New York City.

Learn more and/or register at http://fathersandfamiliescoalition.org/national-conferences.

FFC also offers live streaming from some conference sessions—a valuable resource.

Reviewing The Body Myth

Read the review of "The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to Be Perfect" a book I co-wrote with my good friend, the influential eating disorders therapist Dr. Margo Maine: http://kelliworley.com/2012/05/31/book-review-body-myth-margo-maine-joe-kelly/

Margo is also author of the influential book Father Hunger: Fathers, Daughters, and the Pursuit of Thinness.

17th Annual At-Home Dads Convention

The 17th Annual At-Home Dads Convention will be held on Saturday, October 6, 2012, with affiliated events and activities starting Thursday, Oct. 4 and going through Sunday, Oct. 5.  

Sponsored by the National At-Home Dad Network (http://www.Daddyshome.org/), the conference is for stay at home Dads of kids of all ages.  Of course, part-time stay at home Dads and any Dad interested in being a better Dad are all welcome.

Register at: http://www.athomeDadconvention.com/

The conference will offer:

• Parenting workshops (covering topics like discipline strategies, building self-esteem in your child, toilet training techniques, and Internet safety)
• Education Sessions (how to teach kids the value of money, strategies to improve your marriage, overcoming depression and isolation)
• Social events (Thursday happy hour, Friday tour of Washington, DC, and  then a Meet and Greet at a great Capitol Hill bar, tips on growing your at-home-Dad group, and shared stories and anecdotes)
• Service Project (a fun and fellowship oriented service project to help local families from a particularly Dad-centric angle)

So...why should Fathers go?  Good question.  Here are some things that other Dads have said:

Each year I have arrived home from the convention reenergized with a greater sense of confidence, pride and purpose in fulfilling my commitment as an at-home Dad for my family.”

- Hogan Hilling, at-home Dad since 1991

“I have lawns during the summer for extra money so I could afford to travel and attend the convention. It has made a profound impact on my life every year that I've attended since 2002 and has been worth all the sweat and grass stains.”

- Phil, Lincoln, NE (8-time convention attendee)

A word on cost.  For some Dads, the convention may look cost prohibitive.  We have a few possible solutions that could help cut down the hotel bill.  We would be happy to help you find another Dad that is interested in splitting the cost of a hotel room.  Just click here (http://www.athomeDad.org/node/18300).

And, even better, a few local Dads have offered a spare bedroom for visiting Dads.  What better way to make new friends and get to know another family?  Don't let cost keep you away.  Let us know how we can help you make it.