No amount of longing for the imagined 'good old days', where family members had clearly defined roles, can make such a world happen again. Boys and young men live in complex cultural contexts where experiences of what it means to be a male and a father are rich and diverse. This paper aims to clarify some of these issues by exploring the concepts of 'father' and 'fathering' and the sources of information that impact on construction of these concepts. It discusses a range of recent research and writing in Australia and the United States which has been used to frame the Focus on Fathering Project, conducted by the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People.