FatherHood Fridays!!

It takes guts to step up to a challenge and it takes maturity to tackle a responsibility with confidence. I represent a piece of our community that isn't very well-represented these days. I represent the Father. My train of thought was to say that I don't fit the traditional role of a father, but it seems that the tradition of fatherhood in our community is slowly fizzing out...like the carbonation of an old bottle of Pepsi. The danger is that soon, the spunk and flavor of our community will flatten, and not only will we suffer because of a lack of family, but we may flatline. I don't want to live to see the flattening and flatlining of our community, I digress.

I represent non-custodial fathers. My son doesn't live with me. He lives with his mother in Philadelphia. In order for him to get some quality time with his father I must trek all the way to Philly after work and come back to NYC afterward so we can have a fun-filled weekend sprinkled with academics and lessons in discipline and self awareness. I'm aware that parts of this situation are purely part of bad choices in the past. But God has a way of redeeming us even when we don't deserve it, its called Grace! DJ, my son, is my redemption. Fatherhood is the vehicle by which I find myself working toward that redemption. The trek to the city of Brotherly Love to show my son some fatherly love in person is a bit poetic, and since I see God as an artist who has created a world of artists, fatherhood, as a vehicle, is also my creative artform (among others).

So, I'll be deeming this day every other weekend Fatherhood fridays. I'll be exploring issues facing Married, Unmarried, Custodial, nonCustodial, divorced or widowed fathers through my own lens. Some fridays I'll be sharing an anecdotal related to my own experience, nevertheless, Pops needs some love. This weekend I'll be celebrating my son's fourth Birthday, and I'm trying to decide which of the free events posted on Time Out New York 

to take him to, before the gifts, cake and ice cream!

How's this for legacy: The first step my son took was to me the one time I was able to make it to his school to pick him up (remember I work in Brooklyn, he lives in Philly).  The first time I heard him use the word congratulations in the right context was at my graduation ceremony for my Master's degree.  That, my friends, is legacy. I know it seems small, but when you have a baby and that youngin can say to you congratulations, after you've achieved something great, you'll understand my jubilation...

Fatherhood is divine. It's necessary, it is the balance of parenthood that leaves little girls and boys feeling protected, keeps them grounded and in some instances, a safe space to vent.  Fathers can be the heroes that comic books can't quite capture, the essence of a community, the backbone.  So, whether you're a husband coming home to your wife and kids, or you're a young brother getting off work about to go get your daughter for the weekend, I salute you, for your courage and audacity to do right by your child(r

en).

Below is a picture of my little boy playing his first note on his Uncle's trombone!! How could someone abandon that? Happy FatherHood Friday y'all...thanx for reading!