Daddy and Daughter Singing Bedtime Song

Have you seen the video that has gone viral of the Dad singing a bedtime story to his little girl because she couldn't sleep? It was featured on The Today Show and we thought it was super sweet!

The DADPR project just loves to see these types of stories make headlines!!

This is why we do what we do....... so that every little girl in the world will one day be able to have this experience!!

Yours in the Struggle,
Tameka

http://www.today.com/entertainment/daddy-daughter-duet-sweetest-little-bedtime-song-4B11243399

Blended Family Article

We came across a good article that discusses blended families and actually breaks down their advice, by age, in one part of the article. Sometimes, when people are thrust into blended family situations, parents don't realize how much the age of the child is a factor in what the child is going through.

Check out this article and tell us what you think.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/blended_families_stepfamilies.htm

Psych Central Article - "Daughters Need Fathers Too"

We enjoyed reading the tips in this article about ways for a Father to love his daughter. While some of the advice, may be harder to implement than others considering blended families operate on a different dynamic,we applaud Psych Central for compiling a list that we think is pretty good over all.

What do you think about the list? Which ones are your favorites?
http://psychcentral.com/lib/daughters-need-fathers-too/00012520

Blended Family Video from CafeSmom

We are happy to support Heather and her quest to help others understand blended families! Check out her video here.

HOPE! in blended families

While we spend quite a bit of time discussing custody issues and the Father/Daughter relationship, one thing that many of us have in common is that we have been affected by the dynamics of blended families. And as we all have experienced, the problem of kids losing hope and being uninspired is one of the biggest obstacles we have to work together to try and overcome.

After reading this piece on the Association of Marriage & Family Ministries website, we thought it would be a great idea to share with you their suggestions to minimize the chaos during the holidays.

Tell us what you think! Which ones were your favorite?

http://www.amfmonline.com/articles/templates/templateamfm.asp?articleid=207&zoneid=7

 

Disney and Blended Families, I never thought I'd see the day....

The DADPR project is ran by women who have been affected by the "Parental Rights" struggle in many different ways. Some of us are daughters of fathers who fought to be apart of our lives for many years, some of use are grandmothers who don't get to spend time with our grandchildren because our sons rights are not being enforced, some of us are sisters who want to be more apart of the lives of our nieces and nephews and we are fighting along side our brothers to get equal parenting rights for their children, and last but not least, some of us are stepmoms who fell in love and married a man that had children from a previous relationship.

Having said that, there is one thing that many of us have agreed upon over the years, that's the fact that Disney has not done the best job of projecting the blended family in the best light. :-) However, it looks like they are trying to make up for it in these recent days. A year or two ago, they introduced us to Sophia the First and we all love her! A princess living her story being a part of a blended family.

To that regard, we've posted an article below that was posted on Disney Family {dot} com.
They have outlined topics such as problem solving, custody issues, and parenting styles and we think they did a pretty great job bringing some issues to light.

Tell us what you think and which points are your favorites!

http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-school-age/article-796077-making-a-blended-family-work-t/

Dad's Club

Have you heard of the Dad's Club, presented by Dove and the National Fatherhood Initiative?

If not, you can check out the info below that was copied from their website to give you more information:

Are you proud to be a dad? Do you want to promote responsible fatherhood in our society?  Are you looking for a community of other committed dads?  Then the Dads Club™ is the place for you!  

With a one-time $19.99 membership fee, you get an awesome set of Dads Club™ "swag" - including a set of men's grooming products from Dove® Men+Care™ - and can connect with other Dads Club™ members who care about fatherhood.
Plus, your membership fee supports National Fatherhood Initiative's mission to create a world in which every child has a 24/7 Dad℠!

Exclusive Dads Club^™ Member Benefits

• Gift from Dove® Men+Care™ - the latest products from Dove® Men+Care™ provide superior grooming maintenance for men by caring for their skin, face and hair
• Dads Club™ t-shirt - to proudly sport your commitment to fatherhood
• Dads Club™ photo magnet - to hold a picture of your kids
• Exclusive monthly e-newsletter for Dads Club™ members - featuring tips for dads, member spotlights, and special messages from Dove® Men+Care™!
• NFI's twice-weekly Dad Email™ - practical tips, resources, and ideas for dads

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Here's the website:

https://www.fatherhood.org/dadsclub

A Very Real Article About A Very Real Issue

We have heard many stories that have come across our email regarding men who have loved and provided for children for much of their lives, only to find out much later that the children are not biologically theirs. We can only imagine how this sort of life change can send a person's emotions and reality into a whirlwind.

We would love to hear from you regarding what you think about how DNA testing is changing fatherhood.

Check out this New York Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/magazine/22Paternity-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

John Mayer - Daughters

WE LOVE THIS SONG!!!!! :-)

We got love! :-)

A few months ago, The DADPR project go involved with an initiative called "Bring Home The Tomato" and made a financial contribution as well as increased awareness to return a little girl to her father after not being brought back home after going to the other parents home for parenting time.

Check out the cute picture they sent us!! :-) Thanks Little Miss Tomato!!! :-)

Sgt. Reunited With Baby Given Up for Adoption

This story warms our hearts to know that a child has been united with her Father after being adopted out without his consent. While we understand how hard it must be for the adoptive parents to have to give back a child who they were planning to love and raise, we believe the judges decision was fair.

As women who have experienced every side of what it means to have a child snatched from you and told you are not the "real parent" (many of us are step-moms, grandmothers, and aunts who are fighting to see our stepkids, grandkids, and nieces/nephews because the father has been denied the same rights as the mother. We believe our sons, brothers and husbands deserve equal parenting rights), we sympathize with the adopted mother. However, it is only fair that the Father who was never afforded the opportunity to meet, bond, and love his daughter to have that opportunity that was ripped from him without his knowledge.

Congrats to Terry Achane for having the opportunity to form a relationship with your daughter. And kudos to the judge who heard this case and decided to set a legal precedent that fathers deserve rights to their children.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can read about it here at ABC news: http://gma.yahoo.com/sgt-reunited-baby-given-adoption-181449034--abc-news-topstories.html

Mention of Co-parenting on The Steve Harvey Show

We love that we just heard a mom on the Steve Harvey TV show say that she moved closer to her child's father so her son can develop a better relationship with him and so she and Dad can co-parent. What's sad is that it takes a kid to have behavioral problems in order for a parent to decide it's best to co-parent with the other parent so that children have the best chance at a quality life. We wish more people would grasp the value of co-parenting. I guess this is at least a start.......

Mention of co=parenting on The Steve

Father Denied Custody Of His Daughter Due To Law Identifying Lesbian Mothers As Legal Parents

I am amazed at the opposition to this bill. Do our children only deserve to be loved by 2 people? That's asinine! This is 2012, it's not a perfect world, but a child deserves to have the love of all of their parents!! AAARRRRGGG!!!! This makes me so frustrated!

Check out this article and let me know what you think.

Anybody in California? Have you heard of Senate Bill 1476?

http://blacklikemoi.com/2012/09/father-denied-custody-of-his-daughter-due-to-law-identifying-lesbian-mothers-as-legal-parents/#

Facebook Friday!!

Each Friday, starting October 2012, we will feature a facebook page (community) that we support!

If you would like to check it out and "like" them, feel free to do so and let them know that The DADPR project sent you.

We believe this is one way to increase awareness about our cause and share a network of people who are experiencing some of the same trials we face.

If you'd like to submit a page to be featured here, please comment below.

The DADPR project presents the "Monday Minute"

We are pleased to announce that beginning Monday, October 1st, the DADPR project will produce the "Monday Minute."

The Monday Minute will be a segment of advice, insight, and inspiration to further development the 3 vessels of the DADPR project, Awareness, Advocacy and Education.

This video segment will highlight everyday Fathers and Daughters,Celebrity Fathers and Daughters, as well as Legal Professionals and Fellow Advocates.

Fore more information, or to submit a question you would like to see answered or addressed on the "Monday Minute", please contact DADPRproject@gmail.com

"Fatherless Generation" Panel Discussion

The DADPR project is looking forward to this panel discussion presented by The Fatherless Generation Foundation, Inc.

If you are in the Atlanta area on  August 4th, please come by and join the conversation.

To learn more about the organization, their facebook page can be found here.

A Special Thank You.....

Volunteers are such special people!

The DADPR project would like to send much gratitude to a group of Point University (Atlanta, GA) students who volunteered their time during the month of March to helping our organization manage and develop some of our information system needs. As we all know, computers do much of the work in this day and age but having knowledgeable people who can help run programs and create files that make our work more efficient is an extreme benefit that allows us to do the "field work" that comes along with our activism efforts.

This group of students helped with editing and formatting documents to prepare our book to go to print and developing spreadsheets and databases that categorize over 100 entries.

Thanks to their giving spirits and advanced knowledge, our book project is coming along greatly.

We appreciate your efforts!

Point University

BUSI 314 course - Management Information Systems

Professor: Carole Peterson

Students: Charles Greene and Tameka Horton

Below are some quotes that reflect our appreciation!

• The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention. ~Oscar Wilde

• Here's to all volunteers, those dedicated people who believe in all work and no pay. ~Robert Orben

• Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another. ~Erma Brombeck

• Volunteers are paid in six figures... S-M-I-L-E-S. ~Gayla LeMaire

• Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him. ~Albert Schweitzer

• Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.  ~David Thomas

New Domain Name

We are so super excited that we now have our own domain name for this blog/website!! Thanks for all who have supported us with donations, prayers, advice, time, and encouragement! Thanks for telling others about the work that we do and for celebrating our cause!! 

http://www.DADPRproject.org

We certainly appreciate your support! Thanks for spreading the word!!! Looking forward to all that 2012 has in store for The DADPR project!!

How much is too much to tell a child?

Earlier today I saw a facebook post on the fb page of Stepmom Magazine. It was concerning how much is too much to tell a child concerning the custody issues between their parents. While the conversation is extremely value, we began to wonder and have a discussion about how the advancements in technology affect that issue. Teens (and in some cases children) have so much access to the internet and while a parent may be indeed protecting their child while giving limited information, does it become a trust issue when the child finds something online or in public records concerning the long, drawn out days of court battles between parents.

Here was our response to their inquiry bringing up our thoughts to their community to try and get some insight.

I have found that the information age and advancements in technology makes this topic more and more complicated. Considering that anyone who knows how to use the internet (and that age is getting younger and younger by the minute) can look at court cases and documents online. I have found that some of the daughters in our community (DADpr - Daughters Advocating for Daddy's Parental Rights) have become resentful with their parents for the protection that parents are providing by not spilling all the beans. Once they find out anyway, how does one deal with the fact that the child got the knowledge from public records on the internet and not from the parent themselves. We've discussed how this affects trust issues but haven't really come to a conclusion. Any thoughts?

What do you all think? We'd love to hear from you!!

If you would like to check out Stepmom Magazine, we highly recommend it as a resource and encourage you to visit their website. Here's a link: http://www.StepMomMag.com/