Newswise — The approach of Father's Day finds children shopping for gifts and greeting cards to show their dads how much they care. Meanwhile, a dad in Western North Carolina is searching for the words he hopes will bring him and his son closer together.
Dale Brotherton's 18-year-old son lives at home, but Brotherton is writing him a letter. It's a love letter of sorts " a chance to share the feelings and thoughts that often go unsaid between fathers and sons.
Brotherton, an associate professor who teaches graduate-level counseling courses at Western Carolina University, hopes the letter will help open the door to important conversations " even potentially difficult conversations about events and decisions in the past. That communication can help a father and son develop a close, more friend-like adult-to-adult relationship.
"I believe you need to have these conversations with your children," Brotherton said. "Parents are just human beings doing the best they can."
Brotherton suggests arranging time " asking for time " to get together to talk. "Say, 'I want our relationship to be better. What do you need to hear from me that would be important to you?'" Brotherton suggests.
Just writing the words down that a father or son wants to share can be a good start. "Write a letter about how you feel," Brotherton said. "Then, you can choose whether to send it."
Brotherton has a special interest in the development of marital relationships and how parents can help their children connect within and outside family.
RSS