First-Time Father: The essential guide for the new dad

For many men, the birth of their first child is a truly life-changing event. First-Time Father: The essential guide for the new dad provides fathers with the answers and options to enable them to design a rewarding and effective fatherhood journey.

It seems that what new fathers are wanting has continued to change over the last five years. In this revised edition of First-ime Father, the authors Dr Graeme Russell and Tony White (who both work extensively with new fathers) show that contemporary men want to:

• have a strong and enduring relationship with their children;
• be actively involved in the day-to-day care of their children;
• share the parenting and paid work equally with their partner;
• take extended leave from paid work to be the primary caregiver for a period of time; and
• reduce their hours of work (for example, to part-time) to behighly involved in caring for their child.

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Dads and partners now have legal right to ask for time off work when a new baby arrives - Australian Council of Trade Unions

Dads will no longer have to justify asking for time off work when their new baby arrives, thanks to new laws that ensure they have the right to access paid parental leave.

ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver said unions had campaigned for paid parental leave for both parents for more than 30 years.

“Unions welcome the expansion of the Government’s paid parental leave scheme to include the right for dads and partners to spend time with their family after the birth of their child,” Mr Oliver said.

“All parents have a right to spend time together with their new baby and there is no reason why work should prevent them from doing so.

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Fatherless boys become dads earlier: study (UK)

AAP

Young boys whose dads don't live at home are more likely to become fathers in their early 20s, new research shows.

According to the British study, it also linked absent dads to delays in their sons experiencing the key puberty milestone of voice-breaking.

The researchers suggested it was possible the stress associated with not having a father around could have an effect on adolescent hormones and delay puberty.

Boys with absent fathers were more likely to have had at least one child by the time they turned 23 compared to those whose fathers were still at home by the time their sons turned 16.

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My Son Was a Teenage Father (USA)

The MTV reality series is called Teen Mom, not Teen Dad. The disturbing figures from Memphis, Tennessee schools refer to how many teen girls are pregnant, not how many teen boys have made a baby. Having lived through that scary first year, from finding out my child was going to become a parent to witnessing the reality of a baby, I know that teen pregnancy happens to teen dads as well as to the mom. My son was a teenage father.

New Parent Infant Network (NEWPIN) supporting fathers

NEWPIN offers parents and children a unique opportunity for positive changes in their lives and relationships, based on four core values of support, equality, empathy and respect. NEWPIN is a preventative, early intervention program, offering intensive work with families facing potential or actual child-protection issues. The award-winning program combines peer support, quality early education and personal development that is structured and therapeutic. NEWPIN centres are based in local communities and offer safe and supportive environments. There are six centres in Australia: Bidwill, Doonside, St Marys, Bidwill Fathers Program, (operated by UnitingCare Burnside). Geelong (operated by Bethany Community Support), Launceston (operated by Northern NEWPIN) and Canberra (operated by UnitingCare Kippax).