Road to Fatherhood: How to Help Young Dads Become Loving and Responsible Parents

by Jon Morris

Overview

Rather than grouping teen fathers under the umbrella of irresponsible youths, this resource advocates treating them as individuals who need a little extra help in their education and offers guidance to educators and parents in providing the services that young fathers need to ensure their own individual success and their success as parents. Making a difference in the lives of teen fathers requires this method of approaching each of them as individuals to help them get at least a high school diploma, college education, or workforce preparation, and a chance to learn the art and skills of parenting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781885356925
Publisher:	Morning Glory Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/28/2002
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.61(d)

About the Author

Jon Morris has provided services and programming to young men for more than seven years. He was the first coordinator of the For Males Only program of the Roanoke City Health Department in Roanoke, Virginia, and is the cofounder of the Reaching Out to Adolescent Dads (ROAD) program. He lives in Roanoke, Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

Teen fathers find themselves caught in a world of contradictions?"too young to be a man, and too old to be a kid." In this comprehensive and encouraging volume, Morris outlines the pitfalls of young fatherhood, lists those skills and attitudes that need to be taught to and fostered in young fathers, and details a plan for community action to address these concerns. He details the ROAD plan?Reaching Out to Adolescent Dads?and encourages caring professionals to create a program, based upon his model and his experiences, to provide education and support to adolescent fathers. This book is designed to be used as a ready-reference tool, and an excellent table of contents provides quick and effective access with common scenarios and predictable responses. "Jacob [chapter five]: Court Orders Counseling before He Sees His Daughter," is followed by the subheadings "Possible Approaches," "Need Counselors on Call," "Finding Legal Help," and "Peer Mentor Can Help." Many anecdotal stories of young men's needs and the program's responses balance the author's carefully documented facts and statistics. The second half of the book gives a step-by-step plan for generating a ROAD program, from determining needs and articulating goals to attracting prospective clients. Morris does not provide enough information about funding sources or how to track them down, saying "I wish I had a magic formula for you, but I don't. Apply for as many grants as you can." A thorough treatment would go beyond the scope of this book, and there are many good sources of information regarding grants and funding, so this omission is not seen as a serious detriment to the book. School counselors, community leaders, and clergy willfind a wealth of suggestions for having a positive effect on the lives of young fathers, and by extension, their children, partners, and the community at large. 2002, Morning Glory Press, 208p,
— Christopher Finer

VOYA