{"id":237143,"date":"2021-01-01T09:40:57","date_gmt":"2021-01-01T15:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=237143"},"modified":"2020-12-31T21:05:25","modified_gmt":"2021-01-01T03:05:25","slug":"coming-shells-pregnancy-center-father-involvement-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/coming-shells-pregnancy-center-father-involvement-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Coming out of their shells’: Pregnancy center sees stronger father involvement thanks to technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(Pregnancy Help News<\/a>)\u00a0For one Wyoming pregnancy center, 2020 brought an unexpected blessing: better engagement and stronger involvement by men participating in the organization\u2019s fatherhood program. The change? Technology, particularly Zoom.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy incredible,\u201d said Rebecca Tharp, True Care Women\u2019s Resource Center\u2019s program director. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s the comfort of being in their own home or this group of couples I have right now, but it\u2019s so cool to see \u2013 the dads are coming out of their shells. They are crazy involved!\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Because of COVID-19, in April, True Care suspended in-person, in-center classes, both for moms and for dads. Tharp provided sessions on Zoom, and she believes that move helped with engagement by the fathers-to-be. She has seen greater consistency in showing up and in participating during the online sessions compared with the in-person, in-center sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were times when the guy and gal would be sitting on the couch in the advocate room, and they\u2019d be talking and engaged with each other, but not to this level,\u201d she said. \u201cThey ask a lot more key questions now \u2013 it\u2019s like they\u2019re better focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program<\/h4>\n

True Care began a fatherhood program in 2018 after years of trying to get one off the ground. Tharp implemented the Fathering in 15 program<\/a> from the National Fatherhood Initiative, adding a 30-minute session for dad in conjunction with the center\u2019s 60-minute Baby & Me session for first-time moms.<\/p>\n

This year, she\u2019s woven material from Bright Course<\/a> into both programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the content of it is really good,\u201d Tharp said.<\/p>\n

The dads are responding more thoughtfully and thoroughly to questions about male mentors in their lives, about job losses experienced, and to character traits they possess.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had two dads who have completely lost jobs because of COVID,\u201d Tharp said. \u201cOne dad thinks he\u2019s under a lot of stress because he works a pretty low-income job, and he can\u2019t seem to get a better job \u2013 he feels inadequate to provide for her and their baby … but he\u2019s way excited for this baby!\u201d<\/p>\n

Others talk openly about their character traits and express interest in changing for the sake of their child.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotten answers like \u2018I am really short-tempered,\u2019 or \u2018I know that I need to be more patient,\u2019 or \u2018I know that I\u2019m quick to anger,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cGuys don\u2019t admit things like that. In the last six months, three of my dads have responded with those kinds of answers. They feel a sense of peace to open up, and I\u2019m impressed with their openness.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Missouri pregnancy centers\u2019 fatherhood program is saving the lives of babies<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Other topics discussed include consistency and communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really helps the dads to see the importance of communication \u2026 and then we can talk about \u2018How well do you communicate? Does she know what\u2019s going on in your life? Does she know how you feel about her? Because you need to be able to tell your child these things too.\u2019 If they can\u2019t communicate now before the baby is born, they\u2019re not going to be able to communicate then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consistency in discipline and in being present in the child\u2019s life and for his\/her activities, including \u201cnot being on the phone screen all the time,\u201d are other topics discussed, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had one dad who recognized his own father in that \u2013 not being \u2018present\u2019 because of screens, and he said, \u2018I could see myself doing the same thing,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I Want for Christmas \u2026\u201d<\/h4>\n

The old comical song, \u201cAll I Want for Christmas is My Two-Front Teeth\u201d may make people laugh, but the words might be different and more serious for thousands of babies and children in the United States \u2013 their song would be \u201cAll I Want for Christmas is my Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative<\/a>, one in four children in the United States lives without a father, stepfather, or father-figure; that translates to more than 18 million American kids. The lack of dads leads to greater risks for poverty, behavioral problems, crime, and other issues.<\/p>\n

Natrona County, Wyoming, where True Care is located, is not immune. In the county, single-parent households, teen pregnancy, income disparity, and poverty are higher than the state average, according to data collected by Wyoming Kids Count<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tharp believes True Care\u2019s fatherhood program, and participation by the dads-to-be, can help combat some of those community issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re creating families, [and] God honors families,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re helping to make those families stronger and giving this child a better life \u2013 and that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. The absence of fathers in todays\u2019 society plays a major role in whether a child graduates high school, whether the mother and child live in poverty the rest of their lives \u2026. [Our program] helps our community stay sound and prevents poverty within our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although many men leave the mothers-to-be, Tharp has witnessed how some want to be involved with the mothers of their children and their babies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have one couple who both worked, and they took the last appointment of the evening,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was in the background cooking while she was doing her lesson. They had the computer in the kitchen, and they\u2019d both be engaging [with the lesson]. He would serve her, and they would eat and sit and talk through the video together. It was just the cutest thing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to have more engagement,\u201d Tharp added. \u201cWhat we had in the center was good, but not like this. I\u2019m hoping to have more and more father involvement and engagement, even if that means continuing with online education [in the future]. I would love to double the number I\u2019ve seen this year, and I think that\u2019s possible.”<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was published at Pregnancy Help News<\/a> and is reprinted here with permission.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Pregnancy Help News)\u00a0For one Wyoming pregnancy center, 2020 brought an unexpected blessing: better engagement and stronger involvement by men participating in the organization\u2019s fatherhood program. The change? Technology, particularly Zoom. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy incredible,\u201d said Rebecca Tharp, True Care Women\u2019s Resource Center\u2019s program director. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s the comfort of being in their own home or this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":191944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[2793,7077],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n'Coming out of their shells': Pregnancy center sees stronger father involvement thanks to technology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For one Wyoming pregnancy center, 2020 brought better engagement and stronger involvement by men participating in the fatherhood program over Zoom.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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