Dear Father, are you ready to change the world, one son at a time? Join me on this journey to empower fathers everywhere. Father Knowts: Being a Better Father on Purpose is a workbook designed to strengthen your relationship with your son or sons. It is the father's responsibility to create the pathway for sons to be more diligent, more decisive, more proactive, and more passionate about leading their lives on purpose.

You are venturing into uncharted territory, possibly where many fathers have ever gone before. In Father Knowts, you will be shaking the trees of tradition and culture while fostering new growth for fatherhood. I phrase it simply as Being a Better Father on Purpose because a father knows.

My vision is to increase the number of fathers leading the household. Wouldn't you like to see those demoralizing terms and phrases such as deadbeat daddy, baby daddy, is he my daddy, your daddy on the phone, bootleg daddy, and the gut-wrenching mama's baby, daddy's maybe become extinct?

You may ask, What age should you have the talk? Who knows your son better than you? Who watches your every move? Who looks up to you both literally and figuratively? Your presence precedes you, and your engagement completes you. The teenaged years are formative, yet challenging. Typically, males deal with their stress through avoidance and silence. Stay connected and present. Here are some tips:

*Ask open-ended questions and be patient.

*Avoid going into lecture mode.

*Give some compliments and acknowledgments.

*Ask your son's advice for a problem you have.

*Paraphrase messages that may come across complex and ask your son if you've got it.

*Provide some rewards or incentives for any successes.

*Make it fun and be open to uncontrolled laughter.

*Remember what you and your son have in common.

As you venture through Father Knowts, be careful. It will seem like you are benefitting more from the experience than your son. To quote Oprah Winfrey, that's an "aha moment." Absorb it, embrace it, and indulge it. You may find that you are repairing your own life matters and relationships that you thought were lost. Think about your father and the impact he has had on your life. Read the "Patriarch Testimonials" at the end of Father Knowts and you will understand what I mean. Acknowledgment of each lesson is truly when change happens and when fathering becomes the word of action.

You are hereby promoted to patriarch of your family!