Improving Relationships Between Fathers and Their Children

Our future is our children! Coaches, teachers, pastor, uncles, cousins are all considered mentors when they spend quality time around young children. I have always heard of the surrogate mother, but never the surrogate father. We need to take a look at how we can improve the relationships between fathers and their involvement in the education institutions of America. Some of the mentors mentioned above should be able to pass on knowledge of being a young man in today’s society. Well there is a reason for this pecking order and this important figure not being mentioned. All of the above can and will be a father figures, i.e., surrogate fathers to some young child during their lifetime. Every since I was old enough to remember, some male has played a significant role in my development. From my days at the 43rd St. Boys Club, I have notice males becoming mentors or confidants to me. This was extremely important in me trying to figure out what does it take to be a man. I use to feel neglected because I didn’t have my biological father around. But I did notice that there were important men in my life, whether they were biologically connected or just males willing to contribute to my developmental growth. I would not realize until later how much these men would affect my life and how I look at the world through their eyes.

I was a child that was raised by a single guardian. I didn’t have a biological mother or father raise me or play a big a intricate part of my development. There was a time in my life that I use to accept my mother not being there for me, but rejected my father. Why did I look at my father in a negative way and not my mother? Eventually, as I went over that thought in my mind, I realized that I was ...

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...ave to set an example and hopefully pass on the necessity and importance of having an education to my children as will as others in urban areas.

I also realize the positive affect that I was able to give to those children that didn’t have a male figures to look up to and feel that necessary male bonding. The F.A.M.I.L.E. program will help fathers get acclimated to the educational process. It will be used as networking tool to enhance their children education. During some of my encounters at schools or P.T.A. meetings I felt an apprehensive towards me as if I shouldn’t be here. After attending several meetings this feeling between me and the administrators subsided. Eventually the teachers were able to accept my involvement and saw a drastic improvement in my children’s behavior. This program will be a part of all activities that involves male participation.