Fathers make a difference through presence and sacrifice

KINGSTON, Jamaica—As Jamaica pauses to celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 21, a different image of fatherhood is emerging across homes and communities.It is not only the father who provides financially, but the one who attends Parent-Teacher Association meetings, assists with homework after a long day at work, prepares meals, buys school supplies, listens, encourages, disciplines with love, and remains present even when life becomes demanding.For fathers such as 58-year-old health professional Gerald Miller, 58-year-old technical officer at the Jamaica Information Service, Kavanaugh Campbell and 33-year-old senior advisor and consultant with the Government of Jamaica, Dr Daren Johnson, fatherhood is not a seasonal celebration.It is a lifelong commitment and, in many ways, one of the most important contributions a man can make to national development.Their experiences point to a growing shift in how fatherhood is being understood in Jamaica, moving away from the narrow view of fathers as mere providers to a more complete picture of men who are emotionally present and actively involved in the lives of their children.His advice to absent fathers is simple but urgent, “find your children, give them a little love. Try to make the communication start from there.”Dr Johnson, who hails from Middle Buxton, St Ann, represents a younger generation of fathers embracing presence as a central part of parenting.While he wears several professional hats, serving as a senior government advisor and consultant, immigration advocate, college professor and school board chairman, Dr Johnson says the title closest to his heart is father.He became a father at the age of 22, when his son, S’Wayne, was born, an experience, he says, which remains the most defining thing he has ever done.“Before S’Wayne, ambition was about me. Now every decision passes through one question – what does that build for him?” he says.Dr Johnson notes that fatherhood has made him more patient, more purposeful and less selfish with his time.Despite a demanding schedule, Dr Johnson keeps his son at the centre of his life. He checks in, talks with him about school, travels with him, listens to music with him and uses ordinary moments to teach life lessons.More than once, he has turned down good assignments or left important engagements early because of his responsibility as a father.“Opportunities come back around, but you only get one chance at the moments that shape a child,” he says.Dr Johnson wants his son to grow with faith, integrity, humility and pride in his roots, but more importantly, he wants to model these values, recognising that children often pay closer attention to what parents do than what they say.-JIS