Program Participant Spotlight: Ian Cambridge, Fatherhood Initiative

How long have you been involved in the Fatherhood program?

I started the program in December of last year.

What have been your favorite aspects?

I like to hear the different opinions from the different men about their situations and what they’re going through and how we go about being parents to our children.

How many other men were in the program with you?

I’m not exactly sure how many men were in the program.

Was it usually the same people every week?

I believe they had three different classes going on, in which I was a part of two. And I’m not sure exactly the amount of men that were part of the class.

Got it. Did the class meet every week?

Yeah, it met on Mondays and it met on Wednesdays, as far as my classes went. 

When did you finish the classes?

I finished the class back in March.

What have you learned from the program? Any big takeaways?

 Honestly, a lot of the stuff that we learned was common sense and a lot of cut-and-dry things that – as men and as parents – we should already know. I learned more about the different kinds of abuse that can transpire in a relationship, whether it’s verbal, physical, sexual, or whatever the case. 

With Father’s Day coming up, what does being a dad mean to you? 

It means everything to me. It means I have five children that depend upon me and five children – five lives – that mean more than my own. I have to make sure that as long as I’m alive and on this earth I try to make sure that they’re better people than I am.

 Was becoming a dad a wake up call for you? That’s a lot of new responsibility. 

Yeah, there was a lot. I became a father when I was 20; I’m 51 now, so my life changed a long time ago.

Are your kids all pretty far apart in age then? 

I have all age ranges. My oldest child is about to be 31 in July; then I have a 19 year old; I have 12-year-old twins, and then I have a 4 year old.

Do you think the Fatherhood classes were helpful in improving your relationship with your kids? Did they change how you interacted with them?

 Yes, there are certain things that now I think I have to go about a little bit differently. My three oldest children are boys and my two youngest are girls, so I have to walk the fine line when it comes to educating them, disciplining them, teaching them.

I imagine it’s hard with girls because there’s so much more to think about. 

Yeah, especially with this day and age and how the younger people conduct themselves and carry themselves now. I really have to be on top of my children to make sure that they don’t end up in the wrong type of situations or have the wrong type of behavior or the wrong type of characteristics. I really have to be on top of it.

How did you first hear about the Fatherhood program? 

I was reached out to about the class because I found myself last year in a domestic violence situation. Then, it led me into this class because with the DV situation, my youngest child was basically there. 

Was it nice to be in that environment with other dads?

At first I was very reluctant about it – I mean, I think a lot of the fathers were reluctant – I think a lot of fathers thought it was almost like a waste of time. But in the long run, I think it was beneficial to everybody just to have a conversation. All of our classes were virtual, but for the last two we had to physically come to the place and sit down together. That was good.