by Nikki Partlow-Loyall
It’s become an all too common occurrence in media nowadays for fathers to be portrayed as babysitters more than as parents. Unfortunately, that portrayal comes in part from reality. Some fathers struggle with being the kind of close and involved parents that their children need. Some dads just need a little bit of help to be better fathers. Giving that help is exactly what Arkansas Better Dads (ABD) aims to do.
A father spending time with his children at an Arkansas Better Dads event. Photo from the ABD website.
Arkansas Better Dads is a program of First Assembly of God in North Little Rock that partners with churches and organizations to help create interactions with families and serve dads all across the state of Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Better Dads website, their “approach is comprehensive and works to serve fathers who are in difficult situations as well as raise public awareness of the critical role fathers play.” They work with faith communities because there are already existing infrastructure and support networks that makes interactions possible.
ABD isn’t trying to change men into perfect fathers; they know that isn’t possible. Instead, they try and provide resources and materials to help them be better fathers. According to Erica Zetterman with Arkansas Better Dads, “No organization can address the challenges of fatherhood in Arkansas alone. Arkansas Better Dads is poised to become the hub of community organization and partnership throughout the state. By leveraging existing relationships and exploring innovative new ones, we are prepared to help men across Arkansas become the fathers they have the potential to be—and the fathers their kids and communities need them to be.”
Arkansas Better Dads has many events in the works, such as fatherhood training sessions and a Father’s Day weekend set of events. Look for fatherhood training sessions in Pine Bluff, Dermott, Monticello, and El Dorado. One testimonial to the success of ABD is from an anonymous father on their website “Sometimes it’s hard, not gonna lie, because my selfish ways have their own personal agenda and that’s when I myself or my wife has to remind me that they are only kids for a short while and we will never get this time back. So work and my own agenda and anything else gets superseded by spending quality time with my kids.”
To learn more about Arkansas Better Dads, check out their website at www.arbetterdads.com.