Name: Jerry Francois | City: Brooklyn, NY | IG: @KingParkerGold2001
What does being a father mean to you?
What being a father means to me is that I’m at the highest peep of my life, God chose me to create life with love and I’m super bless to be in the fatherhood club. A club not many men get to be apart of especially black men. There not enough black dads in the world and some that are dads are not even present like mine. Being a father give me a new since of purpose.
Describe your experience with your father growing up and how that impacted you today.
My father left my mom when I was born. I never really had a relationship with him. My mom force me to visit him as a kid everything I needed money. I saw my dad as a bank and nothing else. For the most part he was dead to me never called him dad. Even after my mom died he didn’t step up for me. He gave me so money but no future. I was self taught since I was in the 8th grade learn how to be a man on my own and things I saw on tv. There a lot of skills I lack not having a dad like driving, how fix things, save and how to love, I had to learn just a few on my own time growing up. But that made me a better man , husband and father to my own. To always be present to my family with love and not money.
What things did you take from your experience growing up into your own fatherhood journey?
I pretty much said it up too lol. Learning things on my own and making a lot of mistakes in the process. All that help mold me to the dad that I am today. No experience sometimes is the best practice. I love learning everything through my son and wife now. Adding new smile and happiness I didn’t have growing up.
What advice would you give others new on their fatherhood journey?
To enjoy the greatest title you can ever get and remember being a father means you are someone super hero so no matter what never give up.
If you could write a quick letter to your father, starting with “Dear Father,” what would you say?
I wouldn’t called me father. That title is something you earn, but I would thank him for being absent in my life because that help me grow up faster to be a better father then he ever was.
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