Being the Dean of Dads From The Valdosta Daily Times
It takes two to tango. A crucial element we’ve left out in the “tango of violence” is our dads. Why? Because violence is a learned behavior.
Who are the teachers? The dean of quality family life isn’t the college president. It’s us dads. Dads teach family neglect with family neglect.
The solution? If our sons learn from dad’s behavior to dominate, hit, and win, then the challenge to this behavior must begin with us dads. Dinner at home. Prayer before dinner. And I like the bumper sticker that says that boys who sit with dads in deer stands rarely sit in jail.
I’d love to see my home of Echols County become the first to begin a Dean of Dads Day. Begin with us dads, then involve the churches, and then explore how the presence of commissioners, law enforcement, mental-health facilities, and businesses can help. It’s a start. The purpose? To teach our sons healthy interaction. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have an amnesty day when moonshiners, marijuana growers, and meth dads could come down from the hills and out of the flatwoods and just enjoy a day with their sons?
The cost? If we dads insist upon winning through violence and neglect at any cost to our families then our challenge to win back our sons must be at any cost. We have a brand-new manual called Batter Up for men who batter women. It will hopefully provide some ideas how we dads can help ourselves and our sons. It’s free.
Jim Harnage, Statenville, GA
Silent Ministries Recovery Outreach
Kids In Need of Dads (K.I.N.D)
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