蜜桃影视

This Father鈥檚 Day, we鈥檙e giving dads what they really want. Not a novelty necktie 鈥� a challenge. Several of them, in fact. We asked leaders, activists, bloggers and researchers: What鈥檚 your challenge to American dads in 2022? Here are their responses. What do you think, dads? Are you up for a challenge?

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“Show you care about care by voting as if care for families, child care and leave policies are as urgent as any pressing issue our country is facing.”

鈥擥ary Barker, president and CEO of (Formerly Promundo-US)

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鈥淏e emotionally courageous! Our kids want and need emotional support from us, so vocalize what you are feeling and help your kids understand that you are fully human!鈥�

鈥擝rian Anderson, cofounder and executive director of

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鈥淚 challenge every dad to identify another dad (preferably one you are not related to) that they know and admire and reach out to them (in person, call, email, social media, text) and let them know how their fathering practice inspires you. I challenge all dads (especially those who don’t do it often) to share a moment of vulnerability with your child or children. I challenge all dads to make a new memory with your child or children. Be creative!鈥�

鈥擧akim Bellamy, activist, author and of Albuquerque

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鈥淎s the dad of a daughter with special needs, I would urge other dads to talk about inclusion in sharing life lessons with their children. So many kids with physical and cognitive special needs may think less of themselves because others make fun of them or single them out because of their health conditions. Inclusion fosters kindness and brings people of differing abilities together for a better understanding of one another.鈥�

鈥擥ordon Hartman, founder of Morgan鈥檚 Wonderland

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“It’s rare enough in our country for fathers to be granted paid family leave, and it’s unfortunately even rarer for them to take it;  showed that as little as 5% of new dads take at least two weeks of parental leave. We need to enact policies in our country that give every parent and caregiver the opportunity to bond with their newborns, but we also need our dads to take advantage of those opportunities. Those first few weeks and months of fatherhood are a rare and special time for dads and babies alike. Dads, we鈥檒l keep fighting for your rights to take that time with your children, but it鈥檚 up to you to make those moments count.鈥�

鈥擬atthew Melmed, executive director at

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鈥淪tep up and speak out for issues of care 鈥� especially child care and paid family leave. Policymakers and the public need to know that dads care, too!鈥�

鈥擡lliot Haspel, author and columnist at Early Learning Nation

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鈥淟et your children see you struggle. Let them see you fail. If you鈥檙e struggling with assembling one of their playsets, let them know. Tell them where you went wrong or admit that you should have followed the directions more closely. Letting your kids know that it鈥檚 okay to fail as long as you learn from it and keep trying is a valuable lesson they鈥檒l carry with them and benefit from for a lifetime.鈥�

鈥擬ark Bezos, cofounder at HighPost Capital and director of the Bezos Family Foundation

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“I challenge dads to be as involved in their children鈥檚 lives as possible. This challenge is especially important for dads of infants and toddlers. Reading, singing and playing with children at that age are profoundly important to their healthy cognitive and emotional development. Engaged fathers play an important role in the healthy development of young children.”

鈥擝arry Ford, president and CEO of

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鈥淢unicipal leaders play an important role in ensuring that fathers across this nation have what they need to lead in their families, neighborhoods and cities in which they call home. As a dad to a college freshman and a junior in college, and as a former city manager, I challenge dads to stand up as purveyors of hope to your children, families and neighbors, and work toward a vision of America as a 鈥榮hining city upon a hill,鈥� a land of opportunity where all young children and their families thrive.鈥�

鈥擱obert Blaine, senior executive of the  at the 

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鈥淰acuum, empty the dishwasher and run the laundry machine now and again. As a #GirlDad, I want my girls to know that what they do 鈥� or what they might be expected to do 鈥� isn鈥檛 limited by their sex, and these little household moments matter in conveying that confidence.鈥�

鈥擥regg Behr, coauthor of When You Wonder, You鈥檙e Learning: Mister Rogers鈥� Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids

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鈥淪avor as much as you can 鈥� as fathers we may not understand how fast childhood flies by until it’s over. As fathers, if not parenting alone, we can challenge ourselves to balance our focus on our children with attention to our relationship to the person we are raising them with. Can we be strong enough to open up to our mistakes, to forgive ourselves and learn from them?鈥�

鈥�Joshua Sparrow, executive director of Brazelton Touchpoints Center

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鈥淭ake time this summer to reflect on who you want to be as an ancestor. What are you leaving behind for your children and their grandchildren down to the seventh generation? How do you want to be remembered and what kind of world do you want to leave? Hint: you will be remembered for your virtues, not the time spent at work or on the golf course. Answering these questions thoughtfully and firmly, and then living according to the answers you give is the greatest gift you can give your kids (and future generations!) in 2022 and beyond.鈥�

鈥擩oe Waters, cofounder and CEO at

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鈥淢ost of us have underestimated the threat that digital devices pose to the healthy development of children鈥檚 brains. For Father鈥檚 Day this year, my hope is that dads can learn more about the harmful effects that digital devices pose to young brains and receive the support they need to create and uphold age-appropriate limits on device use for their kids.鈥�

鈥擩im Winston, director of the Winston Family Foundation

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鈥淒ads of America! From Coney Island to Winnetka, from Dallas to Portland. Here鈥檚 a challenge that鈥檚 guaranteed to create a lasting memory with your kid and help them grow: Find a spot outside somewhere. A park bench, comfy grass under a shady tree鈥�. a place that鈥檚 hidden away. Bring a book to read together with your kid and pause every now and then to ask about their favorite parts of the story and what the characters experienced. And make sure to give your new reading spot a name and make it a shared secret between the two of you. Go there once a week on the regular. It will have a real impact鈥攐n their development, their love for reading and your relationship with them. That’s my Yoda advice. Good luck!鈥�

鈥擲ean Farrell, senior vice president of content and strategy at

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鈥淲ork when you work, Dad when you Dad. It鈥檚 harder than ever to do. Long before COVID, when one of my daughters interrupted me, I made sure she was okay and then said, 鈥楪ive me two minutes to finish this.鈥� They got used to it鈥攅ven learned a bit of patience鈥攁nd I kept my word, turning my full attention to them and away from work.鈥�

鈥擯aul Sullivan, founder of

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鈥淏e the dad you want your child to be when they鈥檙e raising your grandkids. Science shows that children are learning from us, whether we intend to teach them or not. Children are little ‘pattern detectors.鈥� If we act in a prejudicial way, our child will, unconsciously, absorb this pattern. If we act in a generous and altruistic way, our child will pick up that. We may tell our kids to 鈥榬espect and be kind to others,鈥� but our children will often learn, remember and imitate how we acted, not what we said. The challenge is to think about how your child sees you. Your grandchildren will thank you.鈥�

鈥擜ndrew N. Meltzoff, professor and codirector of the University of Washington and co-author of

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鈥淢y challenge to American dads and father figures鈥攊ndeed, to men around the world鈥攊s to have the strength to cry in front of their children and to acknowledge the importance of being vulnerable. Being a dad/granddad is more than just who you are, it’s what you do.鈥�

鈥擜llan Shedlin, dad, granddad, ,  & 

Disclosure: The Bezos Family Foundation provides financial support to Early Learning Nation.

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.