According to Gregory Slayton, an American professor, businessman, philanthropist, former Ambassador and dad of four, fatherhood is in a state of crisis. Having been abandoned by his own father, whom he referred to as "the saddest man I have ever known," Slayton stresses in a new book, Be a Better Dad Today the critical role that fathers play in their children's lives.
This isn't your father's generation, says Slayton, who offers modern dads the tools needed for staying connected to their children despite hectic work schedules and 'special circumstances' like single dads, blended families, long-distance and deployed dads.
Enter the 13-nation team of psychologists currently working on the International Father Acceptance Rejection Project. Their point: to prove that a father's love and acceptance is equally, if not more, important to his child's long-term wellbeing. The theory goes that children and young adults pay more attention to the parent they perceive to have "higher interpersonal power or prestige."
Among Slayton's top 10 tools for becoming a better dad are family fun, a committed marriage, a never surrender attitude ("Winning dads never quit, and dads who quit never win") and resiliency in the face of what Slayton calls 'life's beanballs."
For Slayton, a former US Ambassador and venture capitalist, family is a lifelong investment, and what he dubs 'fatherhood failure' is costing America billions of dollars every year. To underscore his commitment, he is donating all royalties from book sales to a fatherhood charity.
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