PEPS Dads Who Lead The Way!
~ By Angie Ballas, Red Tricycle
Anyone who thinks of PEPS as only a mom's group may not realize it actually stands for Program for Early Parent Support. Just ask any dad who has participated in the program what they think of PEPS and most of them describe the experience as a lifesaver. Some dads have even decided to give back by volunteering their time.
Peter, Karla and
their son Atticus
Peter Pak and his wife Karla signed up for a group after hearing about PEPS from a number of friends. They weren't sure what to expect from parenthood when son Atticus (now 22 months) was born but knew they wanted to experience it together. PEPS helped reassure them that the issues they were having with the baby were normal and they were not alone. Peter and Karla decided to give back to PEPS by co-leading a group earlier this spring. They met together with the group the first time and then traded off leading the sessions, which worked well as they had a small child at home. Peter found the training materials to be very well organized by PEPS, which made it easier for him to go off-schedule one evening to address a PPD (post-partum depression) issue. The discussion ended up bringing the group even closer.
James, Carmel and
their daughter Soraya.
James Drage has just been trained and will start leading a group of his own in June. When he and his wife Carmel were expecting daughter Soraya (now almost 3), they found there was lots of focus on the birth and delivery but no one was talking to them about the parenting aspect. They heard about PEPS in a birthing class and consider themselves lucky to have found a spot in a group at the last minute. James found the meetings to be extremely helpful and says "there was lots of commiserating and sharing of ideas." Although his nights are often busy with his favorite routine of the day (putting little Soraya to bed on evenings his dancer wife has classes and performances), he wanted to give back to PEPS and made time in his schedule to volunteer to lead a group. Although he was the only guy at the training session "singing the songs with a booming voice," he feels it's really important to have a male presence at PEPS groups to make sure the dads are supported too. After all, "it's VERY important to be a dad," says James.
To find out more about volunteering for PEPS, contact PEPS Volunteer Manager
Cate Palmer at catep@pepgroup.org or
206-547-8570 ext. 15.
PEPS Groups meet for 12 weeks (2 hours per week), and volunteer group leaders pick the meeting day and time that works for them. Click here for upcoming monthly PEPS Volunteer Training dates. We’d love to have you!
Today's fathers are much more involved in the daily caretaking of their children than a generation ago, with many taking it on as a full-time responsibility. "All PEPS groups are open to any combination of babies and parents," says Cate Palmer of PEPS. "We serve tons of dads including stay at home dads, single parent dads, and dads in couples, so it's great when our volunteer base reflects our clientele."
So, where will we find these awesome dads this Father's Day? Peter's family will most likely enjoy breakfast together followed by an outing to a favorite park such as Magnuson, where their son Atticus likes to watch the kites and throw rocks in the lake. James thinks rocking out with Soraya at KEXP's annual Father's Day dance sounds like fun. James and Peter - we think YOU rock!
About the Author
Angie Ballas is currently a stay at home mom to two daughters - ages 4.5 and 15 months. She's also a freelance writer for Red Tricycle, an online parenting resource providing "Pint-Sized News For Savvy Grown-Ups".
