By Ida Brown
An upcoming seminar will provide training for one of the most rewarding jobs a man can have: fatherhood.
Fathers play an important role in the lives of their children, however many of them are absent or uninvolved – even if they live under the same roof. The national seminar "The 6 Basics of Being a Great Dad" is designed to provide fathers a roadmap to exercising positive father power.
"Anyone who attends this workshop will leave as a better person, but more importantly a better dad," said Robert Markham, a retired Meridian educator who serves as the Male Initiative consultant for Mississippi Action for Progress (MAP), Region 3. The seminar is sponsored by MAP's Male Involvement Program.
Dr. Worth E. Haynes Sr. of Jackson will conduct the two-hour session, which will be held Saturday at Charles Young Head Start Center. Haynes is founder of Haynes & Associates Inc., a consulting firm specializing in workforce development, building collaborative partnerships, Web-based instruction, responsible fatherhood and program assessment. He also is a senior trainer/train-the-trainer for Great Dads of America, and a trainer for Seven Secrets of Effective Fathering for the National Center for Fathers – two of the three nationally recognized fathering curriculums.
"Over 27 million kids in America today are growing up without a role model; no father figure in the house or anywhere around," said Haynes, who has presented more than 55 Great Dads seminars in Mississippi and Louisiana at churches, Head Start centers, correctional institutions and for civic groups.
"The mothers are doing a good job, but they cannot replace a daddy," he said. "A lot of mothers tell me they can, but a child needs that father figure, too."
The Great Dads seminar is founded on six basics, which Haynes explained briefly:
• Provide Unconditional Love and Affection
"That's the No. 1 question a kid wants to know – Do you love me?" he said.
• Spend T-I-M-E
"That's how kids spell love – T-I-M-E, how much time you devote to me," Haynes said.
"The average pre-teen spends less than 30 minutes a day of one-on-one time with their father; the average Headstart-age kid spends 37 seconds a day. That's when they are forming their attitudes, likes and dislikes ... If a dad is supposed to be helping instill all of this in the child and they are not spending but 37 seconds a day with them, a lot will not be instilled."
• Communicate Constantly and Effectively
• Partner with Mom
"That is, both parents agreeing on discipline and rules and regulations for the child," he said.
• Instill Moral and Spiritual Value
"Teaching kids right from wrong," Haynes said. "A lot of kids today don't believe in such things as absolute – no consequences for one's actions. They think, 'If I think what you think is wrong, I'm right; If you think it's right, you're right. So we're both right.' You both can't be right. When teen-agers don't believe in absolute, they are likely to engage in drugs, crime and other bad things."
• Establish My Fathering Legacy
"Father's need to think about what type of legacy they want to pass on to their kids," Haynes said.
The seminar is open to fathers, grandfathers, uncles or anyone who has contact with children. In addition to being empowered with the basics of fatherhood through lecture and discussion, participants also will receive an Action Plan Book and a Commitment Pledge Certificate.
"It's a pledge that says the father recognizes his child as an individual, a unique person and a gift from God and he is going to do all he can in terms of nurturing, guiding and praying for them. He's making a commitment to be involved in their life," Haynes said.
A certificate will be provided for each child. The father will write the child's name on the article, sign and date it, then give it to the child.
Door prizes will be presented to the first 50 men, and a cash prize will be be awarded to the man who recruits and brings 10 men to the seminar.
More than 1,200 fathers have attended Great Dads seminars conducted by Haynes, including Markham, who said the program was an eye-opening experience.
"I think I'm a pretty good dad, but after going to this seminar I became a much better, caring and attentive father," he said. "It is a great benefit to both the father and child."
GREAT SEMINAR
What: Seminar "Six Basics For Being a Great Dad"
When: Saturday, from 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
Where: Charles Young Head Start Center, 1122 11th Ave.
Information:Robert Markham, (601) 482-0371
