Every father has a hidden desire for his children -- to see them surpass him. How can this come about? Ken Canfield gives a three-part blueprint: First, a dad should examine his own heart. Next, he should take steps to improve the way he connects with his children. Then he should take a longer range view and plan specifically for a lifetime of involved fathering. Based on years of careful research involving thousands of dads, this book is a solid reference tool for dads. Canfield's three-part blueprint addresses:-A father's past. A father should resolve his relationship with his own father in order to effectively build a relationship with his children.-How to make a dad's house a home. Canfield explains how to build the four 'walls' or dimensions, of fathering: Involvement, Awareness, Consistency, and Nurturing -A plan for the future. From being a new father to being a grandfather, dads face challenges at each stage of their life. With the long-range perspective this book provides, fathers can anticipate and prepare for the changing situations they'll face.
Dr. Ken R. Canfield is a research scholar specializing in the area of fatherhood and the history of the family. He is founder and president of the Kansas City-based National Center for Fathering--a non-profit education and research center dedicated to inspiring and equipping men to be responsible fathers.
His work has been recognized in a variety of ways: He is a consultant to state and community officials on ways to engage and equip fathers in local programming; he served as one of the founding members of former Vice President Al Gore's private sector "Father to Father" Initiative; and he was awarded the 1993 Father of the Year by the National Congress for Men and Children.
Ken is the author of "The Heart of a Father" (Northfield Publishing, Chicago, 1996), as well as three other books, including the award-winning "7 Secrets of Effective Fathers" (Tyndale, 1992). Canfield has been interviewed as an authority on fathering skills and research, as well as on the negative consequences of father absence. He has appeared on "Oprah," NBC's "The Today Show," ABC's "World News Tonight," "Focus on the Family," and numerous other programs.
Besides publishing the quarterly "Today's Father" magazine and doing a short weekday "Today's Father" radio commentary (heard on some 500 stations nationwide), Canfield has written for a number of magazines, both academic and popular: "Psychological Reports," "Educational and Psychological Measurements," "The World & I," "Parents," "Today's Better Life," "New Man," and "Living With Children."
Canfield's work is rooted in his knowledge of the historical literature on fathering and current social science research data. The Center maintains one of the largest ongoing databases on fathering in the nation, including more than 10,000 responses from men to the 138-question Personal Fathering Profile Canfield developed in conjunction with a number of scholars. The profile has been termed by authorities in the field as the most comprehensive, scientifically sound tool available for a man to inventory his strengths and opportunities as a father. Canfield has led other research as well, including three national random sample polls on fathering and an ongoing National Survey of Men covering a wide variety of men's life issues.
Canfield earned his B.A. degree in philosophy from Friends University (Wichita, Kansas). He has an M.C.S. degree in historical theology from Regent College (Vancouver, British Columbia) and a Ph.D. in education from Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kansas). His dissertation reported on his innovative research on the life course of fathers.
Ken and his wife, Dee, reside in Kansas City. They have been married for 25 years and have 5 children.
