Advice for Fathers and Future Fathers
By Moira McLaughlin, FUTURES
June 13, 2025
Happy Father’s Day! We celebrate all the dads out there and applaud you for your work. According to The Care Board, the data backs up your love and labor for your children. Fathers ages 25-44 are spending more time caring for their kids.
But what does that care look like and what could fathers learn from other men?
Last year FUTURES produced a virtual event, Dads Get Serious About Mental Health, where we heard a lot of great advice – from social media experts to politicians to school teachers – about ways to be a good father.
Messaging From Dads
Here are some “Everyday Actions” that fathers can do to support and care for their kids:
- “Never underestimate the power of your love,” said FUTURES program director and interfaith minister, Juan Carlos Areán. This revelation came to Juan Carlos when he saw his son experiencing emotional distress. He and his wife tried everything from therapy to consequences to help his son. But then one day, after his son got into trouble, instead of leading with anger, Juan Carlos gave his son a hug and told him he loved him. This, Juan Carlos said, “Was a key moment in [his son’s] healing journey.”
- “Model mental well-being practices for the young people in your life,” said poet Hakim Bellamy. Recognize your own mental health needs and seek out therapy for yourself.
- “Talk about your feelings, spend time together, make sure [your kids] know you’re there, and just be present,” said social media influencer, Uncle Castro. He makes sure his nephew knows that he can always count on him.
- “Stop telling people they need to tough it out and start encouraging them to get the help and the support they need,” said elementary school teacher, Trayvon Thompson. Telling someone to “tough it out” just perpetuates the stigma around therapy and getting help, especially for Black men.
- “Remain true to yourself by trusting your instincts and living your core values” said author and professor Judy Chu.
FUTURES Initiatives
Fathers play such an important role in the lives of their children – especially their sons. FUTURES designed initiatives to help men and boys create healthy, thriving, violence-free communities. From working on college campuses to building a network of adults trained to respond to young people’s mental health needs to Coaching Boys Into Men, our programs encourage men to act courageously by challenging bullying, harassment and abuse.
Watch Dads Get Serious
We invite you to help the young men in your life be agents of positive change. Watch the entire Dads Get Serious event. Then celebrate Father’s Day by ensuring your children know healthy and supportive relationships, with you, their friends, their partners and their whole community.
