Program teaching fathers
Matt Good has a lot going for him these days. At 21 years old, he has a job, he's a homeowner and, most importantly, he's learning how to be a good dad to his 4-month-old daughter, Mariah Joy Good.
Good of Duncansville has gotten into his father role, learning how to feed and change his daughter and be in tune with her moods. He said that prior to taking a four-week course known as Doctor Dad, he was "kind of scared." He didn't know much about caring for an infant, but because his daughter's mom, Erika Albright, works, he spends a lot of time with the baby. "You hear of mothers playing the role of caregiver, but not so much the man," Good said.
Lori Schultz, a safe sleep educator for the Blair County Respiratory Disease Society, runs the program, which started this year. It includes four hourlong weekly sessions and is part of a national initiative that places emphasis on the health of a child. Her goal is to hook up with dads already involved with other Blair County agencies, including Children and Youth Services, Domestic Relations and even those incarcerated in the county jail.
Good got involved because he has been part of the county's Drug Court for the past 16 months. While going through the county-sponsored program, he accepted the chance to participate in the first session of Doctor Dad. He was taught things like what to do when his daughter cries, which he said usually means she wants a bottle or needs her diaper changed. He was taught to handle minor illnesses, how to take the child's temperature and when to go to the doctor for more serious ailments. He even learned how to prepare formula and properly use an infant safety seat in the car.
Schultz said Good was one of five men in Drug Court who participated in the first Doctor Dad class. He endorsed the program, as did the others who were asked to evaluate it. One participant said in his written evaluation that ''everything was helpful.'' Another commented the program was geared toward first-time fathers and fathers of infants, as opposed to fathers with older children.
Schultz said Doctor Dad also has been given high marks by the Center for Social Research at the University of Texas at Austin, which evaluated the program.
Participants in the first Doctor Dad class were ''skittish, a little standoffish." she said. But by the second session, they were really involved in learning how to care for their children.
As for Good, the program made him more comfortable in his role of father. ''It eased my mind,'' he said, even as little Mariah cried in the background and he went to pick her up. Then talking about the last 16 months, Good said, ''I definitely found a solution toward living a productive life.'' The key, he said, is keeping busy, and having a job that takes 65 to 70 hours of his time each week, like helping to raise his baby daughter.
Phil Ray
20 July 2008
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