ParentMap, June 2011 issue

Jen Betterley
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Published on: May 27, 2011

June 2011 ParentMap Issue

Fathers: Going from good to great

We're talking about a men'volution! New fathers are as active as ever in their children's lives, yet dad-centered support can still be hard to come by. This month we take a look at the many fathers who are taking this dilemma into their own hands and in turn, relying on one another for support and strength. They're proactive fathers, they're growing in numbers and we couldn't be more proud of them!

And if you're looking for some neat summer outings, don't miss our eight picks for summer fun -- with berry picking, river rafting, prairie exploring and more!

Hoping to avoid the dreaded 'summer slide'? Check out this month's "Getting School Ready" column for tons of tips on keeping your child school smart as the weather turns warm!

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Read the entire issue online, or scroll down for links and cool online-only content.

Ages & Stages:

Getting School Ready: Keeping kids summer smart

Out & About:

Feature: Parenting partnership: New dads

NEW! Mind + Body: Health and wellness news for women

Regulars:

Click here for this month's special "online only" content.

About this issue

The Sulkin familyMen’volution

I’ve just returned from an extraordinary evening honoring severely wounded elite combat soldiers from the United States and Israel who fight in far off places such as Iraq and Afghanistan, Gaza, and Lebanon.

The night is uplifting and inspirational beyond one’s wildest imagination. All politics aside, you feel depths of despair for these pained young men who make the choice to put their lives at risk.

Despair quickly turns to awe and joy as you observe the new lives these soldiers have created with one another’s help. The power behind the extraordinary transformation of these brave hearts is their mutual support, love and respect. Understanding that a colleague has witnessed and survived combat, they allow themselves to be vulnerable, and empathize with the physical and mental trauma their fellow soldier has suffered.

What, you might wonder, do soldiers healing from combat have to do with fathers, the subject of this month’s feature? The same qualities that heal soldiers help fathers: men supporting men, and sharing and understanding empathy.

Fathers: Going from good to great emphasizes the power and effectiveness of males supporting each other. Fathers have proactively changed their place in family life — and not a moment too soon.

Empathic, creative and generously spirited men like Conscious Fathering founder Bernie Dorsey, or VetCorps counselor Mark Fisher, understand the significant difference 20 years can make. Dorsey, a former real estate man turned stay-at-home dad, describes how men have virtually transformed from the time he launched the program in 1999 — when men were pulled into his classes by their wives (so last century!) — to today. Now, the dads often insist their friends join the course.

Empathy and emotional literacy are vital to the success of any role we play in life, be it soldier, father or friend. We enthusiastically support Roots of Empathy, our giving together partner in June whose goals are to:

• Foster the development of empathy

• Develop emotional literacy

• Reduce levels of bullying, aggression and violence, and to promote children’s pro-social behaviors

• Increase knowledge of human development, learning and infant safety

Sign up and join us at honey.parentmap.com

Happy Father’s Day!

 

—Alayne

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