Mothers and fathers play different roles in the development of their children. Mothers commonly play the nurturing role and protect their children from the “outside world.” Fathers, on the other hand, are critical in assisting with the separation experience by helping the child safely and securely separate from the intense maternal dependency of infancy.
Since fathers are typically around less, they help infants and toddlers learn about transitions, comings and goings, separations and have a different nurturing style.
Child Crisis Arizona offers many opportunities just for dads because we recognize dads play an important role in children’s lives.
“Most programs approach parenting through a mother’s lens of parenting and female’s lens of communication. This is not intentional or wrong. It’s just the way that social service agencies and government programs have evolved and have operated for the past 50 years,” says Neil Tift, Family Resource Specialist at Child Crisis Arizona.
This approach may make some fathers reluctant to ask for help or open up in a class or workshops if they feel outnumbered by mothers or that they will be judged by female staff. At Child Crisis Arizona we are able to offer a unique opportunity for dads and male caregivers to gather and share their expertise with other dads and to feel welcomed in a father-friendly environment that respects how men express their paternal instincts. By having father specific services that are staffed by fathers we are able to provide comfortable male-only settings and provide parenting approaches through a father’s lens.
“When an agency employs staff and offers services that understand the psychology of men and respect paternal instincts, more fathers will attend and more will return for additional services. Men helping men can be very empowering and successful,” says Tift.
Child Crisis Arizona offers the only program of its kind in Arizona for dads and male caregivers. We provide specialized support to aid their involvement in family life, offering tools and resources which enhance their parent engagement and child-rearing skills including:
Check out our current schedule to see a full list of our father friendly services. To learn more about the work we do with fathers, please contact Neil Tift at 480-834-9424.
