Children Need Their Fathers: Father-Con 2019
This year I had the amazing opportunity to attend Father-Con 2019. From the moment I arrived at the event's venue I felt an undeniable energy of positivity and warm connection. The annual event, inaugurated in 2018, had one primary goal, to let the world know that children need their fathers! This endeavour was clearly outlined in their mission statement: Father-Con is a call to fathers, future fathers and father figures - to celebrate the significance of being a father, recognize the consequences of failing to be the father our children and community need us to be, and become aware of the very real dangers of human trafficking and predators that take advantage of any vulnerability our children may have due to absent, disengaged or abusive fathers and father figures in the home." This inspiring goal was powerfully illuminated by each insightful and compassionate presenter.
Father-Con's founder and principle organizer, Patrick Erlandson, commenced the event by encouraging the audience to remember the grave importance of dutiful fathers being in their children's lives and emphasized the amazing benefits to a child's life when this occurs, such as children feeling more protected, less likely to engage in self or community harming activities and possessing a stronger sense of self worth. Psychology Today reported a similar finding. In an article titled the importance of Fathers, it was reported that fathers teach children how to regulate their emotions and feelings and help children develop better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and achieve academic success.
Erlandson was followed by a list of powerful speakers including Alan Smyth. Smyth is the Executive Director of Saving Innocence - an organization that works to eradicate human trafficking. Smyth passionately impressed upon fathers of daughters how important it is for fathers to be engaged in their daughter's lives and educated the audience on the tragic statistic that over 80% of women (as young as 12) trapped in human trafficking reported having no active father in their lives.
Next to the stage was author and social activist Armand King of Paving Great Futures. Paving Great Future’s goal is to rehabilitate the marginalized and at-risk communities of San Diego by fostering their economic, social, and political development. Armand electrified the stage with his triumphant story of parental abandonment at the young age of ten, street involvement, imprisonment and ultimate self rehabilitation and long fought road to being a published author and community organization leader and role model.
Other dynamic speakers included: 1. Kendra Tankersley-Davis,MS - Program Manager-Crittenton Services. Tankersley-Davis spoke about the extreme importance of mothers and fathers carefully monitoring who they allow ongoing access into their childen's lives, 2. Zach Tanenbaum of StrykerFusion Corporation . Providing scientific data and statistics, Tanenbaum spoke about the importance of parents monitoring their children's on-line usage to help lower the possibility of cyber predator and bully engagement and 3. Scott Galbraith, Chaplain, Sacramento Kings and Super Bowl XXVIII Champion Tight End Dallas Cowboys. Galbriath, with power and compassion, skillfully emphasized the significant role fathers play in raising resilient children.
Attending this event and interacting with the wonderfully diverse body of attendees, speakers and many resource providers, like Shields For Families , Gems Uncovered and Penny Lane, reinforced and reminded me of two things 1. children absolutely need their fathers and 2. the extreme importance of getting outside of our social media bubbles and making human contact. It is in that space of real human interaction, demonstrated so vividly at this year's Father-Con, that we find common goals, interest, and most importantly potential friendships and lasting human connection. Definitely looking forward to Father-Con 2020!
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Mark Winkler is an author and motivational speaker. His book, ‘My Daughter's Keeper’, is the compelling story of a father who risked everything to remain in his daughter's life.