Fathers Network
"Do you remember the shock of when you were first told your child may have a disability? For me it was the words Down syndrome. I felt like I was forced into a huge arena and told to play a game that I knew nothing about and frankly had no desire to play. I hadn't trained and wasn't conditioned for it. I didn't even know the rules. I had envisioned a totally different game. But now my blue-eyed boy beckoned me to come and play." – WC Hoecke, Father of Carl who has Down syndrome and Fathers Network Program Coordinator
Men thrust into this game will play it very differently. Some will be solo runners. They just want someone to show them the court and give them the ball and get out of their way. That is okay. Others may want a coach. New fathers often look for someone who has played the game before and can share the rules. The Fathers Network of Family Connection of South Carolina trains volunteer fathers (called Fathers Coaches) to support other fathers knowing that the issues may be addressed very differently from the way a mother may address them. The reality is that most coaches know they are in the presence of better ball players than themselves, but a coach knows the rules and how to work the field to your advantage. He may even be able to let you know where other sucker punches comes into play. A one-on-one visit from a Fathers Coach may be right for you.
Other dads want a team, or a group of men who play the game together. Fathers for years have met informally at Family Connection. The Fathers Network meets as a group in Columbia (2nd Tuesday of each month 6:30 – 8 p.m.) with a focus on encouraging fathers of children with special healthcare needs and providing men with the resources and knowledge of services that are available to assist them. Typically, fathers come together around good food and to listen to professional speakers addressing the issues to assist in the game we unwittingly have been forced to play. Please feel free to join us.
If you are a father who has played the game a little longer and would like to be a coach and mentor new fathers, please contact the Family Connection office in Columbia at 1-800-578-8750.
