All-Pro Dads Makes Superheroes Out of Us All

Recently, I had the pleasure of helping create a change at my son’s school by starting a dad’s group. I am a parent at this school and do not have an official role, but I saw an opportunity to positively impact students and families, so I took some action and established a new group. This has already had a tremendous impact.

My son’s school is a Title 1 school that faces many challenges, but it is a successful school with a strong administration. When they ask for volunteers, they usually get moms to help. I also noticed that some students did not have a positive male role model in their lives.

Reflecting on this, I saw that we could start a group for dads, male relatives, or male family friends that could meet and work on improving their relationships with their students. I brought the idea to the principal who was immediately excited. We joined a national organization called All Pro Dads that gives monthly curriculum and on-line support for the meetings. 

Just last week, we had the first meeting and it was a huge success. Attendance was so strong; we had to bring in extra chairs. I led the meeting, with the topic of “When we mess up, how do we handle it?” As we started the discussions and I observed dads really connecting with their children, I saw a new culture developing in front of my eyes. 

For our first activity, we had all the dads introduce their sons and say why they are proud of them. This was a fantastic ice-breaker. When I introduced my son, I said that my son is a good kid, kind, smart, always tried hard, and he is teaching me about super-heroes. Another dad shared that this program can make super-heroes of everyone who participates. I like that.

The next activity had all the dads stand up. I explained that I would ask a question and if the answer was yes, they would sit down. The first question was, "Who has ever burned something in the oven?" Every dad sat down. Then, I asked, "Who has ever got a speeding ticket?" Most dads sat down for that one. It got a little more serious as I asked, "Who ever failed a test?" I sat down with a majority of the dads for that question. The final question was, "Who has ever lied?" I was impressed with the honesty as all the dads sat down, admitting to the group and the students that they had all made mistakes. I watched the students look on with amazement as they recognized that their dads had made mistakes, sometimes serious ones, and had survived. 

Students were asked to share about a time when they made a mistake or felt like a failure. The dads all reminded their sons that they loved them no matter what happened and that they were proud of them. We also reminded our children that when you do make a mistake, always be honest and try to learn from the experience. 

At the end of the meeting, we challenged dads to make a “bucket-list” of everything they wanted to do with their children before they graduate high school. Then the dads were encouraged to actually complete one of these activities by our next monthly meeting in May.

After the meeting, one dad came up and asked about getting more tips on communicating with his son. I gave him the All Pro Dad's website that is listed below. Another dad, who son is physically challenged, told me that he and his son felt welcome at our group and that this was a powerful tool in helping them feel a part of the community at the school. This is an example of some of the cultural changes we can make in the world with a little effort. After the meeting, I felt invigorated, being part of this new cultural change at my son’s school is exciting.

I can’t wait for our next meeting in May. A few of the dads are already committed to helping out with our next meeting. Hopefully, this will expand and we will see the difference in the students and the families who participate. It has definitely helped me.

Here is the All-Pro Dads website: www.allprodad.com