TAMPA, Fla. — A group of parents has put together a local organization called "Fatherhood is MANdatory" to mentor fathers in the Tampa Bay area.
Socializing within the group involves regular fishing trips, but the connection is much deeper.
“When you’re out there fishing, you’re casting, you’re catching fish, nothing else matters,” Ronnie Oats with "Fatherhood is MANdatory" explained.
Thanks to the program, Jasen Glanton now parents differently.
“Old school told me, 'Be hard, be tough, don’t let him cry,’” Glanton explained.
His son, Jasen Glanton Jr., is now a freshman at Florida A&M University. He’s majoring in journalism. His dad’s daily task involves teaching men how to become integral in children’s lives – especially those who may have missed lessons along the way.
“The word mandatory stood out, and I said, ‘Whoa, that’s strong' with that word 'man' being the first three letters representing mandatory,” Glanton said.
The organization was born about a year ago.
“We’ve created a partnership,” Glanton said. “Fathers are not perfect.”
“We know how important they are in our lives,” Deborah Austin said. “Anytime we don’t access who we are totally, it’s going to mean somewhere down the line, things are not going to turn out how we want to.”
Austin’s passion pushes what she said men need to be better.
“One of the things that the data shows are, African American dads and Hispanic dads spend more time with their children,” Austin explained.
“How can you have healthy mothers and babies, and you don’t have healthy fathers?” Austin asked. “We don’t spend enough time looking at the positive things that dads do. And the positive people that they are.
"We consider it to be our responsibility and our privilege to help those men become better fathers.”
Kinship through caring. Growth through nurturing. Research raises resources.
“We have nurses, we have doulas, we have fatherhood programs and the whole spectrum of the family,” Ricardo Busquets said.
And kids notice.
“[I've] seen my dad become the greatest dad I could ever ask for,” Glanton Jr. said. “Growing up, I wanted to be just like my father.”
Anyone interested in getting involved with "ReachUP" or "Fatherhood is MANdatory" can visit https://www.reachupincorporated.org/