The importance of dads

A Men’s Health Week workshop facilitated by social services provider CatholicCare Victoria for fathers (and mothers) of children under ten years of age will take a look at the particular part dads play in their kids’ development.

The free talk is the latest instalment of the Parenting in the Modern World series at Bendigo Library, with several more topics to be covered in the coming months, including kids and worry on 16 July and connecting with kids on 22 August.

Julia Feiss, who runs CatholicCare’s regional parenting program with fellow practitioner Lisa Castles, said the session will feature highlights from a six-week evidence-based program, Dads Tuning into Kids.

“Our workshops are fairly practical and we try to keep them interactive,” she said.

“We look at play, we look at brain development, we look at what to expect from a preschool or a school-aged child. We talk about the benefits to children of dads’ involvement and how you can have a closer relationship with your child.”

According to Ms Feiss, every parent can benefit from engaging in these types of parenting programs because there’s “always more to learn.”

“None of these children came with manuals and we’re all parents together trying to figure it out,” she said.

“The more knowledge you can have, the easier it will be to understand (them).”

Parenting in the modern world: The Importance of Dads workshop takes place on Tuesday 11 June from 1pm to 2pm at Bendigo Library. Register at bit.ly/3x3EQKS.