Everyday Fatherhood – Father Lessons

5th September 20245th September 2024

8 Ways to Support Men’s Mental Health

Men’s mental health is a pressing concern in today’s society, with studies showing that men are less likely to seek help for mental health issues than women. Many factors contribute to this, including traditional notions of masculinity that discourage emotional vulnerability, societal stigma surrounding mental health, and a lack of resources tailored specifically to men’s needs. As a result, men often struggle in silence, leading to higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and even suicide.

However, there are several practical and impactful ways to support men’s mental health and create a culture that prioritizes emotional well-being. Here are eight strategies to help improve men’s mental health and raise awareness.

20th February 202320th February 2023

The Truth about Male Inequality

Richard Reeves on the Modern Wisdom podcast

Boys and men are increasingly at a disadvantage in education and in the job market.

As author Richard Reeves is at pains to point out in this brief video, this is not an issue of men vs. women in any sort of misogynistic way, but the very real fallout from the necessary rebalancing of gender inequality that has played out over the last few decades.

4th January 20234th January 2023

Fathers Are More Present, But…

A recent article from the Guardian newspaper starts with a statement that captures the very essence of what Father Lessons is about:

Like many men of my generation, I wanted to be a more present father than my own had been.
Jeremy Davies

The writer talks about how, as a journalist, he was able to be a stay-at-home dad when his son was born some 20 years ago, but points out that he was very much the exception at the time in the UK. As a self-employed online business owner in Tokyo, I had that same opportunity and was pretty much the only father dropping off and picking up from daycare.

31st July 201931st October 2023

The Battle with Digital

Are we fighting a losing battle with screen time?

It seems like every time I talk with other parents, especially parents of teenagers, the topic of conversation at some point turns to “screen time,” or how much time our kids are spending on digital devices. Of the parents I’ve spoken to, it seems like the vast majority are frustrated and having a hard time managing screen time. Like me, they have usually tried different systems or rules but, again like me, they have found it difficult to effectively and consistently police those rules. The addictive nature of gaming and social media mean that their kids will inevitably test boundaries and find loopholes in the rules. The parents who seem to have the situation most under control are the ones who have set the strictest of boundaries from the start and managed to stick to their guns.

17th July 201929th July 2020

Breaking the Cycle

Have you ever had one of those mornings?

You wake up, usually from a lucid dream, feeling a real sense of clarity about something, as though your subconscious had been wrestling with a problem during the night and finally figured it out. In my case I woke up earlier than usual this morning and went through a thought process that I felt I needed to write down.

Last night I had a lengthy talk with my 14-year-old son about a few unresolved issues that have been bothering and frustrating me. My concerns centre around the amount of time he spends playing video games online but the chat also got into things like how he’s doing at school, his general moodiness and lack of cooperation around the house, and how he plans to spend his upcoming summer holidays. Pretty standard stuff for a parent-teenager talk.

Category: Everyday Fatherhood

8 Ways to Support Men’s Mental Health

The Truth about Male Inequality

Fathers Are More Present, But…

The Battle with Digital

Breaking the Cycle

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