Health News.

Dr. De Leon suggests the following ways for a man to improve his “fatherhood.”

• Review the amount of time you spend with your children. More is always better.

•   Talk openly with your children about your behavior. Show them you are not afraid to confront your own weaknesses.

•   Share with your children your real concerns about them, even if those fears are unfounded. For example, instead of curtly telling your son or daughter to check in with you by phone on a late-night date (“I’m your father, and you should call”), try a more honest explanation: “Look, I worry about you. It may sound silly, but it would make me feel better if you call.”

•   Emphasize personal satisfaction above material gains. Sons, particularly, admire fathers who work at a job for its psychological rewards.

•   The good father does not generate in his children the feeling that they are at fault when something goes wrong at home or school. Such accusations generate guilt, the feeling that you have done something wrong even when you have not. It is a powerful emotion for a young person to handle.

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GENERAL HEALTH