Celebrating Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day! I hope you are enjoying your special day and summertime fun with your family and friends. Fathers often do not get recognized for all they do for their children. Research is now revealing just how important fathers are in supporting their children’s development. Fathers who are actively involved in their children’s lives significantly impact their emotional and social well-being, cognitive development, academic success, and self-esteem. 

On this special day for fathers, I would like to give a shout out to my husband, Gene, who introduced “Woof Woof” to our children during their regular bedtime routine one night. This activity became a favorite of our children and is currently being passed on to our grandchildren. Our children were mesmerized by Woof Woof and shared their thoughts and feelings about their days with him. Our grandchildren are having the same reaction to the Woof Woof bedtime activity. 

My husband Gene likes to extend the celebration of fathers for a week or a month and some fathers even like to say, “Every day is Father’s Day!” This would be a perfect time to introduce your children to Woof Woof during their bedtime routine. This BLOG POST gives good instructions for how to play Woof Woof. You just need a dark room and a flashlight and a willingness to play the role of Woof Woof who is a good listener and can comment on what children tell him.   -Nancy, PhD, Yale Child Study Center