Father New Millennium - RonaldMah

Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist,
Consultant/Trainer/Author
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Fatherhood for the New Millennium
"Father" or "Dad”- What’s the Difference?

for pdf of this workshop description

FORMAT:
Lecture and Discussion- Participants are encouraged to make the workshop more relevant to their concerns by asking questions and actively participating.

DESCRIPTION:
Society is changing.  It always took a village to raise a child.  But the village has changed as well.  The families that used to make up the village have also changed.  In some ways, fathers are more important than ever in the family.  The physical and economic role of men to their families has proven to be insufficient for modern families and today’s children.  Emotional and psychological support, involvement, and investment from male figures are vital to the emotional, psychological, and societal balance of children and families.  Due to economic and social changes, the roles of the mother and of the father (of the female and male authority figures) are changing from year to year.  The roles for grandparents, uncles and aunts, and other members of the extended family have also changed.  What did it mean to be a man?  What did it mean to be a father? What did it mean to be a dad? What does it mean to be a man?  What does it mean to be a father? What does it mean to be a dad?  What did and does it mean to grow up without male models?

To be effective developing male involvement and appropriately educate boys and girls, individuals need to understand the historical foundations for the culture of men, how society has changed and is changing, and the resultant consequences on the new and emerging culture of men and modern society.   Child development and caregiving have traditionally been feminine roles.  

o What are the challenges to men and women to greater inclusion (which some experience with resistance, as “invasion”) of males in traditional female roles?  
o The dangers and traps of simplistically trying to “femininize” male behavior;
o What is an effective model of masculinity (being “macho,” for example) that honors and validates the strength and positives of traditional male energy while addressing and curtailing the traditional harmful individual, family, and societal consequences?  
o What is a model that also honors the feminine partnership in childcare while also challenging its negative models and effects on both males and females and relationships?   
o Integrating and evolving more emotionally nurturing roles for men without emasculating them;
o Gaining effective partners in child raising for women without evoking territorial conflict;
o Empowering girls and women to be powerful without negative stigma;
o Empowering boys and men to be nurturers without emotionally disabling them.

All this comes from a strong foundation of understanding the development of society and culture and the evolution of society and culture.  Understanding Head Start’s multiple roles as a community and agent of and for diversity, multi-culturalism, and cross-cultural process (and the differences among these terms) is essential to designing and executing effective male involvement programs into highly feminine traditional roles, dynamics, and communities.

SUMMARY OF CONTENT:
Changes in Society and Changes in the Family -- Traditional Models:
The Multigenerational Extended Family
The Nuclear Family
The Patriarchal Family and the Matriarchal Family
Roles of Mothers, of Fathers, of Daughters, of Sons, of Senior

Modern Families:
Immigrant Families
Split Families
Single Parent Families
Fatherless Families
The Role of Human and Head Start (and other Social Services agencies) for Modern Families

Traditional Culture for Traditional Society --
Modern Culture for Modern Society --
New Culture for the New Society --

What does your Family need?  What does a Family need a Father (or Father figure) for?   Traditionally? Now?

What does your Partner need?  What do Males bring into a Parental partnership?  Traditionally? Now?

What is the Difference between a "Father" and a "Dad?"  Traditionally? Now?

What do your Boys need from a Male figure? Traditionally? Now?

What do your Girls need from a Male figure?  Traditionally? Now?

ADDRESS:
3056 Castro Valley Blvd., #82
Castro Valley, CA 94546
Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, MFT32136
CONTACT INFORMATION:
office: (510) 582-5788
fax: (510) 889-6553
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