Would you like to join a group discussion about Fatherhood?
In what will hopefully be the first in many online meetings, I’m inviting a wide range of fathers to a Zoom gathering this Friday, April 3. As I’m inviting people as far apart as California and Tokyo, I’m scheduling it for 2pm UK time (6am on the US west coast, 10pm in Japan). Not ideal for everyone, I know, but let’s see how it goes.
- Please let me know in the comments below if you think you’ll be able to make it.
- As I’m using the free Basic version of Zoom, the meeting might be limited to just 40 minutes.
- If you haven’t used Zoom before, it’s best to download it before the meeting.
To join the meeting, click the link below. I’ve set it up so that there will be a virtual “waiting room”. This allows me to control who joins the meeting, and for everyone’s privacy, I’ve also set it up so the password “fathers” is needed to gain access, but it’s already embedded in the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/924151787?pwd=V000SVdxcElPWkdRYTE0OWhhSG9KQT09
Meeting ID: 924 151 787
Password: fathers
I set up Father Lessons in 2019 as a website (and future podcast), with associated Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. The idea was to “share fatherly lessons, insights and wisdom in the hope that it will help men who want to become better fathers but did not have the benefit of a good role model.”
After a few months of early activity, I lost momentum and have let things slide. But recent experiences with video conferencing tools like Zoom have shown me how easy it can be to set up online meetings with groups.
To start off with, I’m opening up the online discussion to fathers that I know personally. But ultimately, the group will be open to all, both men and women, and including anyone who was lucky enough to have a great father. After all, it’s never too late to learn from a good role model.
I imagine the first meeting involving a lot of catching up, reconnecting and some discussion about how Father Lessons might be useful going forward.
If there is an interest in keeping it going, we can look at topics such as:
- sibling rivalry
- coming of age (rituals)
- raising boys
- raising girls
- single fathers
- dating as a single father
- international families
- separation from your kids
- combining work and parenting
- personal development/finding time for yourself
- mentoring
- good books or online resources
- behavioural issues
- confidence in your parenting skills
- etc.
Hope to see you there!