Kevin Renner, In Search of Fatherhood

Kevin Renner, a Portland marketing consultant and former journalist, turned his crisis of confidence as a father into a personal crusade. Renner interviewed 50 women from around the world, to understand their life stories and how they were shaped by their fathers—good, bad, and in between. He wanted to understand fatherhood from the receiving end, as a daughter, so he could bring it home to his own daughters, then 9 and 13. That crusade became In Search of Fatherhood: A Mother Lode of Wisdom from the World of Daughterhood (Inkwater Press, May 2011). At the time, Renner asked himself if he was giving his daughters what they needed, and if he even knew what that was. No, he admits, he didn’t. So after work and on weekends, he conducted interviews in a private therapist’s office he’d leased, women’s homes, and even hotel suites of women who traveled from around the country to share their stories. Renner says the insights he took from spending a year hearing women’s stories has made him a profoundly more insightful father. Discussion topics:10 Tips for Dads of Daughters: Stand firm, tune in, play catch, get help, design your son-in-law.10 Father's Day tips for Daughters: Learn to forgive, play catch, take him back home, throw him a party…Why your dad needs to hear the three little words "I love you."How to get to know your dadHow (and when) to start an adult relationship with your daughter.The pressure of "peak earning years" and how it affects your girls. www.kevin-renner.com