One
weekday morning, I bravely ventured into the bedlam of a typical Hoolitots parent
and toddler session here at Hoole Lighthouse Centre. I opened a door to enter
the hall and a child, who had been leaning against the door, fell at my feet.
He quickly got up and cowered behind his mother’s legs, looking at me
suspiciously. I apologised to them both and set off across the hall. As I walked
away, I heard the mother say to her son, “We don’t often see a man
here, do we?” It was a comment to challenge us all. We know that parent
and toddler work can transform relationships and strengthen families. We have
seen it happen. But we also know that the parent and toddler world has been
populated by mostly mothers. There have been relatively few fathers who have
taken part in parent and toddler sessions; few fathers who have discovered the
fun they could be having with their children. So how do we encourage more men
to take part? Running special Who Let The Dads Out? parent and toddler
sessions is an ideal way.
Mark Chester.