Kids by Age
What your child needs right now.
Age-by-age guidance for fathers: what's happening, what your child needs, what to teach, how to talk, what to do together, what to watch for, and how to build independence.
Pregnancy
Before they arrive
Nine months to prepare — practically, financially and emotionally — and to become a genuine partner in the process.
0–1 years
The first year
Broken sleep, rapid development and a bond built through ordinary, repeated care.
1–3 years
Toddler years
Big feelings in a small body, testing limits as a normal part of development.
4–6 years
Early school
School, friendships and the first real world outside your house.
7–9 years
Middle childhood
Competence, fairness and a growing sense of who they are.
10–12 years
Preteen
Puberty starting, phones arriving, and the beginning of privacy.
13–15 years
Early teens
Identity work, strong emotions and a real need for autonomy.
16–18 years
Late teens
Near-adults preparing to leave, with adult problems and teenage experience.
18+ years
Adult children
Advisor, not manager. The relationship becomes voluntary — and better for it.