![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/pretoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2026\/05\/Force-for-Good_COVER_153x234-262x400.jpg\")
And while Father\u2019s Day often comes wrapped in socks, braai tongs and cheesy World\u2019s Best Dad mugs, Craig believes modern fatherhood is far deeper than clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n
\u201cA great dad today is a man who is intentionally present and engaged with his children, and who is working on himself to be the best man he can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a philosophy shaped by his own journey too. Like many first-time dads, Craig admits he had no manual. No blueprint. Just a growing awareness that fatherhood would demand something bigger from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFatherhood became my greatest inspiration to live right, deal with my issues and childhood wounds, and model life well for my children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then there are the moments that stay with him forever.<\/p>\n
He pauses when speaking about his daughter Blythe\u2019s heart surgery at age two. Craig was allowed into theatre to hold her as she went under anaesthetic and again there when she woke up in recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cA few months later she told a friend of mine that her heart was broken but her daddy fixed it,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no dramatic embellishment needed. The lump in your throat arrives all on its own.
\nYears later, another moment shifted him again when his son, Luke, turned 18 and wrote him a letter thanking him for being his brother, best friend, but most of all his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he felt like the most fathered human on earth,\u201d Craig says quietly. \u201cIt was the greatest gift I had ever received.\u201d<\/p>\n
That letter eventually inspired his first book on fatherhood and today, his latest book, Force for Good, continues those conversations around masculinity, healing and purpose.<\/p>\n
At a time when many boys and men feel pulled between extremes – criticised on one side and influenced by unhealthy role models on the other – Craig believes there\u2019s an urgent need for a more balanced conversation around masculinity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthy masculinity,\u201d he explains simply, \u201cis a man who has a positive impact on the people in his life, whose loved ones are better people because he is in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The book explores three ideas. Being Man, Becoming a Force and Doing Good. But Craig believes many men struggle most with the first.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of us arrive at manhood without some wounding. Yet many men are taught to just man up and keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes too many men carry unresolved wounds, fears and emotional triggers they never address. Add to that conflicting messages about masculinity, and many are left unsure of what healthy manhood even looks like anymore.<\/p>\n
For Craig, healing, self-awareness and emotional honesty are not weaknesses. They are essential parts of becoming a better man, father and partner.<\/p>\n
He often speaks about men needing to become both warrior and lover – strong, resilient and courageous, but also compassionate, empathetic and emotionally present.
\nAnd no, vulnerability is not weakness.<\/p>\n
\u201cVulnerability is the courage to be honest. It\u2019s being authentic enough to say, \u2018I\u2019m struggling.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also why his message resonates so widely. He doesn\u2019t speak at people. He speaks to the lived reality of families navigating modern life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s one thing men wish they could talk about more openly? Their fears.\u201d
\nSimple. Honest. Human.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Craig hopes Force for Good helps men embrace healthy masculinity with confidence and purpose and helps women better understand the fears, pressures and emotional wounds many men quietly carry.<\/p>\n
\u201cMen and women are equally valuable. We play equally important roles and are co-creators of the future. But we are also different, and those differences are something to celebrate.\u201d
\nDespite the weight of the work he does and the realities of fatherlessness he encounters daily, Craig remains deeply hopeful.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy faith in God and the incredible people I meet across South Africa keep me hopeful.\u201d
\nAnd perhaps that\u2019s the quiet truth running underneath it all. Not perfection. Not performance. Not having all the answers. Just presence.<\/p>\n
Because sometimes fatherhood looks big and heroic. And sometimes it\u2019s simply putting the phone down, kicking a ball in the garden, showing up for the school concert or listening properly when your child wants to tell you a very long story about princesses or dinosaurs for the seventeenth time.<\/p>\n
In the end, the most important words in fatherhood are still the simplest ones of all \u2026 be there.<\/p>\n
Craig\u2019s simple dad truths<\/strong> Details: craigwilko.com<\/a>; @thecraigwilko<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Text: RIALIEN FURSTENBERG. Image: SUPPLIED.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" He\u2019s an author, speaker and founder of Father A Nation. But at home, Craig Wilkinson is simply dad \u2013 unpacking masculinity, fatherhood and why showing up, not perfection, is what truly shapes a child\u2019s life. There\u2019s something instantly grounding about chatting to Craig Wilkinson. Maybe it\u2019s the way he speaks about fatherhood with such quiet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":22837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,20],"tags":[10369,10367,10370,10371,2532,10368,10372],"class_list":{"0":"post-22836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-people","8":"category-personalities","9":"tag-craig-wilkinson","10":"tag-father-a-nation","11":"tag-fatherhood","12":"tag-force-for-good","13":"tag-get-it-pretoria","14":"tag-south-africas-first-gq-humanitarian-man-of-the-year-award-in-2019","15":"tag-the-power-of-healthy-masculinity"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nYour greatest fathering tool is how you live your life. The way you live speaks louder to your children than anything you say.
\nYou are your children\u2019s father before their friend. They need fair, consistent boundaries and the guidance to stay within them.
\nModel the way for your children. Be the kind of man you\u2019d want your daughter to marry and your son to become.
\nHelp your children discover their unique identity. Our role is not to write the script for them. Resist the temptation to impose who you think they should be.<\/p>\n