Patrick A. Coleman

Patrick Coleman, a father of two, joined Fatherly in 2016 as the site’s first Parenting Editor, having worked previously as Editor-In-Chief for the Norwood Post, Food Editor of the Portland Mercury and City Editor for Thrillist.com. He used his extensive experience as a journalist to build the brand’s core of research-based child wellness, and parenting articles. His work at Fatherly has put him in conversation with some of the world’s preeminent child health, development and parenting experts including Yale University’s Sterling Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry Dr. Alan Kazdin, 2017 Time Person of the Year Dr. Celeste Kidd of UC Berkeley's Kidd Labb and Director of the Vaccine Education Center Dr. Paul A. Offit. With over five years of inquiry, study and conversations about parenting issues (a great deal of which he has applied to his own family), Coleman has built an uncommon understanding of what it takes to raise good kids. He uses this to offer advice as The Goodfather and has co-authored and edited Fatherly's first Parenting book Fatherhood. With his unique reporting and research, Coleman's work expands on a central thesis that raising good kids is less about practical advice and tactics than it is about working to become a better man and partner with a strong sense of values. He lives with his family in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

News

Men, It’s Time to Make Companies Fear Weak Paternity Leave Policies

ByPatrick A. Coleman

The failure of companies to provide good paternity leave is the unique failure of quiet men.

Say This, Not That

Why Parents Should Never Tell Their Kid “Maybe”

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Uncertainty makes kids anxious and makes parents look untrustworthy.

Parenting

New Study Says Forcing Kids to Eat Broccoli Is Quite Literally Torture

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Sometimes unreasonable kid behaviors have good reasons — you just don’t know what they are.

News

Governor Abbott Blames Parents for Crime

ByPatrick A. Coleman

The Texas governor pulled the rug from underneath parents and blamed them for the rug not being there.

Parenting

The Fatherly Guide to Baby Milestones

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Baby milestones help keep track of development but it's supportive parents that help an infant practice their important life skills.

Parenting

Apple Will Likely See My Kid Sexting. It’s Time for a Serious Talk.

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Apple's plan to combat child pornography will no doubt run afoul of teen sexual explorations

Parenting

Teaching Table Manners to Kids in a Chicken Nugget World

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Table manners may not matter now for your kid, but they are crucial for future success in life

Parenting

Help! My Kid Falling in Love. What Should I Do?

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Science helps us understand falling in love, and there are ways to explain it to your kid.

Corporal Punishment

Spanking Is Physical Abuse, Study Shows

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Researcher says that drawing the line between spanking and physical abuse is "theoretically impossible."

Parenting

How to Make Sure Your Child Isn’t Being a Jerk

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Take a moment and stop assuming that your kids have adult motivations when they misbehave.

Parenting

Parenting a Child Who Comes Out as LGBTQ+: A Guide

ByPatrick A. Coleman

You don't have to have all the right answers or words, but you do have to listen and offer support.

Neurodiversity

Could Nature Cure ADHD? Attention Restoration Theory Says Yes.

ByPatrick A. Coleman

Attention Restoration Theory suggests a future of ADHD treatment requiring little more than exposure to nature.

Parenting

How Self-Determination Theory Can Help Parents Raise Independent Kids

ByPatrick A. Coleman

When parents support children’s autonomy, kids have better wellbeing and academic achievement.

Parenting

A 1980s Parenting Style Can Build Self-Reliant Kids This Summer

ByPatrick A. Coleman

For some parents, taking an '80s-style, hands-off approach can make life easier while growing independent kids.

Parenting

How to Tell if Your Partner is a Narcissistic Parent and Protect Your Child

ByPatrick A. Coleman

The outcomes for kids being raised by narcissists are neither great nor guaranteed

Parenting

Three Tips for How to Recognize a Teachable Moment

ByPatrick A. Coleman

When parents think they've found a teachable moment it might not be teaching anything

Parenting

How Parents Should Prepare for Children’s COVID-19 Vaccine

ByPatrick A. Coleman

As COVID-19 vaccines are approved for children, parents need to consider the logistics of getting them vaccinated.

Relationship Trouble

Parenting In The Ruins: Should You Stay Together For The Kids?

ByPatrick A. Coleman

There are many considerations, and either way the path can be difficult.

Parenting

How To Get Sleep When Baby Won’t Sleep

ByPatrick A. Coleman

It's possible to get longer stretches of better rest, even when your baby isn't sleeping through the night.

Parenting

The Fine Art of Faking Domestic Harmony for the Kids

ByPatrick A. Coleman

It's essential for parents to be a united front for the kids. No one said it was easy.