By James Parker
Aussie cricketing great Mike Hussey has last week visited St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School, where he addressed 45 dads at the inaugural gathering of The MOB – The Men of Benedict’s – a local offshoot of the Fathering Project which seeks to encourage fathers to become Champion Dads.
Mr Hussey shared how his own father, whose greatest love was athletics, never forced his own desires onto his children. Instead, he supported them in the pursuit of their dreams and especially their passion for cricket.
“Dad always encouraged us to give 110 percent,” Mr Hussey stated. “He never got angry when we messed up.”
“Kids need to make heaps of mistakes to find their own way,” he said, when relating to his own experience of fathering four children.
“I try not to swoop in and fix their problems. I don’t parent with anger or intimidation. I try and help them out to find a way through the tough challenges.”
School board member Rod Dowling presented the mission of the MOB, detailing how fathers and father figures of St Benedict’s students might become Champion Dads.
“The MOB is not owned by a limited few. It is there to support and serve all dads who are part of St Benedict’s Parish and school community in their own journey of becoming better fathers,” he said.
“Our aspiration is that dads will benefit from a better relationship with their kids and, most importantly, so will the kids with their dads.”
It is hoped that this new group will inspire and support fathers to better engage with their children, and be a place where dads from the school community can share advice with one another.
The way forward presently being suggested is to have a minimum of one event each school term which offers activities that create opportunities for interaction and bonding between fathers and their children, as well as hosting information seminars for specific issues, as needs arise.
“Fathers are the most powerful force in Australia to reduce the chances of our kids falling victim to drug abuse, suicide and crime,” the founder of the Fathering Project, Professor Bruce Robinson, recently pointed out.
“The economic benefits of a pro-active approach to fathering are enormous. It impacts on the key areas of health, education, law and order like no other factor in our society.”
Mr Hussey admitted that his four kids are “all completely different” and that he is “still trying to figure out their personalities”.
“When it comes to parenting,” he said, “I, too, am still evolving and trying to get better and better.”
The MOB will seek to encourage fathers in the school and in the parish to become better dads by being present and involved in every stage of their children’s lives and to be strong role models within the community.
For more information about the Fathering Project, and to consider creating a local or school group, please visit: www.thefatheringproject.org.