A father’s involvement is just as important in the lives and the outcome of his children as a mom’s involvement, yet there’s a big gap in services that target father participation. There is also the issue of why father involvement is such a problem in this country, in the first place.

Nick Mazzeo joins Amanda and Vickie in today’s podcast to talk about a program called Dads Matter, under the Children’s Bureau in Orange County, California, which started about 4 years ago through federal funding. Nick helped write the grant for the funding so he’s been there from its inception.

 

Show Highlights:

• Dads Matter serves about 300 families a year in Orange County
• “Going Mobile” - They have the ability to take the program, including food, childcare, and facilitators out to any other organizations if they have a group of fathers that they want to receive services.
• Nick discusses gender roles, assumptions about gender roles, and the 2 main stereotypes about father involvement:

• Men are not biologically geared towards taking care of children
• Dads don’t want to be involved in hands-on parenting

• A matter of economics is the main factor in a dad’s lack of involvement in their children’s lives.
• If you have more than one child, it makes more sense in Orange County to be a stay-at-home parent than to work a minimum-wage job, because child-care is so expensive.
• If dad works long hours and mom stays at home, it is often difficult for a dad to be more involved, although many times, he wants to be.
• Dads can get ridiculed or criticized by family and friends for wanting to be a whole parent.
• Across the country, the rate of non-resident fathers is about 25%.
• Nick goes over how father care is different than mother care.
• In the program, it’s important to value a dad’s contributions as equal to the contributions of mother’s.
• When a father is highly involved in his child’s life, the child is less likely to be a bully or to be bullied.
• Traditional father care is the opposite of “Helicopter Parenting”.
• Nick expounds on the importance of, and the differences between, father involvement and father engagement.
• The two evidenced-based curriculums at Dads Matter

• “Supporting Father Involvement” - increases father involvement, but not necessarily used to increase parenting skills
• “Dads for Life” - more skilled-based, like coaching

• Research shows that it’s more likely that Dads will make changes when it comes from a support group of other men.

Links/Resources:

 

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