Full-Time Dads;
The Magazine for Caregiver Fathers
Issue 17, originally appeared in print - September 1995
To anyone who didn't know them, the seven men ranged around the conference table of the Marriot in Andover, Mass. one Saturday in August might as well have been another group of salesmen working out a regional sales strategy. There were a few portable computers on the table, and lots of paper scattered around. A chalk board and flip-chart stood nearby. For all intents and purposes, there was nothing terribly unique about these guys.
Until you found out what they were doing. The organization under discussion was revolutionary and pioneering. The seven men were something of pioneers themselves. And the work they were beginning had the possibility of changing the very nature of how our culture deals with manhood and the family in the near future.
The seven men were all full-time fathers. They had left their families and come from as far away as Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta to participate in the first meeting of the National At-Home Dads Association.
I was one of those men. With me was Glen Wade, the driving force behind the meeting, and Bruce Drobeck, both from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and both involved in founding North Texas At-Home Dads Network; Peter Baylies, publisher of At-Home Dad, who lives around the block in North Andover; Robert Frank, from Chicago, a leading researcher on fatherhood; Curtis Cooper from the Atlanta area and founder of Dad-To-Dad; and myself, Stephen Harris, editor/publisher of Full-Time Dads. We had all been exchanging e-mail for some time about this meeting, and it was a treat to meet these guys face to face.
Through our e-mailing and our discussions around the conference table, we had all agreed that there is a decided lack of positive information about fatherhood in general, and full-time dads in particular, in popular culture and the press. Television gives us Al Bundy, Homer Simpson and Tim Taylor, all well-intentioned perhaps, but failures as fathers. The newspapers bring stories of "deadbeat dads" and child abusers.
There is precious little about men as competent, caring parents. What we wanted to do was put together a national organization to advance the cause of the involved dad. There was to be no pushing of an agenda, but rather a public offering of support for fathers who had made the commitment to full-time child care. The mission of the National At-Home Dads Association is to provide a national resource to all at-home dads who are the primary caregivers for their children.
Our plan is in several parts. The association hopes to sponsor local events, and we'd love to be able to take the show on the road, traveling to cities across the country to host conferences and seminars. A Resource Library has been started, which will collect and catalog father-oriented programs, organizations and other resources. NAHDA will serve as a national clearing-house for this information. Additionally, NAHDA will work toward greater public understanding and appreciation of men who serve as primary caregivers to their children. We also want to put together a list of local coordinators in every state, at-home dads who want to help get the word out in their area, and help to organize events and put dads in touch with each other. Networking is the way things are done these days, and it's time we full-timers got on the bandwagon.
Right now, we are involved in getting NAHDA incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Then will come a period of fund-raising and a hammering out of specifics on what we'll offer and how the organization will function. Glen Wade is serving as chairman, with myself as Secretary and Resource Librarian. Curtis Cooper will be expanding the operation of Dad-To-Dad through NAHDA, offering personal connections to full-time dads across the country.
Full-Time Dads is committed to providing space within these pages to news and information regarding the National At-Home Dads Association. Check out the interview with Glen Wade in this issue. If you know of any resource itemóa local dads group, a newsletter or other publication for dads, some city or state program specifically geared toward fathersóplease contact the Resource Library by writing to:
NAHDA Resource Library
P.O. Box 577
Cumberland, ME 04021Or send it by e-mail to fulltdad@usa.pipeline.com.
If you'd like to get your name on the list of dads who want to get together with other dads, contact Curtis Cooper at 404-457-1595. His e-mail address is Dadtodad@aol.com.
For more information about NAHDA in general, please contact Glen Wade at 214-393-2682, or via e-mail: RaddDadd@aol.com.
This one is for you, dad, and we hope you'll all get involved in some way. NAHDA will be leading the way, but we won't be able to do it without your support. There is a lot of work to be done, and volunteers are always welcomed. Keep an eye out here for news and information about The National At-Home Dads Association.
Copyright 1994 Steve Harris
Copyright. All rights reserved.