"The father-child breakfast [led by Allan Shedlin] is really a wonderful event that shows you the simple and extraordinary power of convening. In Persian, we have a wonderful word, hamsafar...It means, 'one who walks the same steps that you are walking, facing the same journey that you face, and experiencing similar joys and triumphs and heartbreaks.'

 

I feel like I am in a room with my hamsafars, fathers that are all doing our best, making mistakes, working hard, marching onward with great joy but also tremendous challenges -- those deep emotional highs and lows that only parents can understand...We share our stories with humor and affection, and I feel a deep connection to my fellow fathers in the room, and leave that event with renewed spirit. It is a good reminder that I'm not alone on this journey."

 

- Dads'group participant, National Child Research Center Preschool, Washington, DC