Jared Chee Tells His Story

I have been an active father in the life of Ruth, my firstborn daughter, from the day she was born. For the past few years, through active participation in her school's activities, both my wife and I have come to know many children as well as their parents.

However, I felt that there was a lack of presence of male parents in her school. Hence, when the Dads Amazing Fathers@Schools initiative was launched there - to my delight - I joined without any hesitation.

Why He Joined Fathers@Schools in Northview Primary

I shall use the acronym DADS to elaborate the reasons for joining the Dads Amazing (Fathers@Schools group in Northview Primary School). They are: Declaration, Aspiration, Demonstration and lastly, Service.

Declaration stands for declaring publicly my personal commitment to my children's lives. To openly show my love for my children, as well as make no excuses for putting effort into being an involved father. This helps with accountability especially when you make known to everyone that you want to, and will, be a good father.

Aspiration means to aspire to be a great father. Not having a good father role model in my own life created my desire to be one for my own children. I saw that getting into the father's group could also help me to benefit from good fathering mentors and likewise to help other fathers with my sharing. I am sure each of us fathers has something to contribute positively in every father’s life.

Demonstration of a father's love is important to me. Having been a recipient of fatherly love from my belief in God as well as from good fathering models in my church community helped to bring me back on the right path. It was my desire to demonstrate a father's love to my daughter in school so that others could have the right perspective of what a father should be.

Service means serving the school. Northview Primary has become a substantial part of my life besides Work/Family/Church. The school and its teachers have been very responsive in meeting the needs of parents and children. I personally recognize that the school plays a major role in meeting my daughter’s many needs, and serving the school is my way of saying "Thank You" for taking such good care of her.

A Father's Opportunity

Since I joined the Dads Amazing Fathers@Schools initiative, I have already had the wonderful opportunity during the March school holidays this year to enjoy a sleepover night with my daughter, right in her school compound.

Despite her allergies to dustmites, she chose to enjoy her sleepover in a tent in the Northview Primary school field. With help from another father, we managed to set up a comfortable tent. That night, Ruth was unable to sleep and so she escorted me around her school. She took the time to tell me about her favourite plants and Koi fish as we did a leisurely walking tour, as well as to show me where her classroom was.

Once we returned to the tent, I had a memorable night experiencing the heat, the noise from the cars passing by the school, occasionally with their strong headlights shining toward our tents. Though I spent most of that night trying to keep my sleeping daughter cool, with a portable fan (until the battery died), it was truly a precious time spent with her that only a dad would be able to appreciate.

Actions to Appreciate

In addition to this event, the Dads Amazing Fathers@School initiative in Ruth’s school also organized a trip to the Zoo, as well as a heart-to-heart session where fathers and daughters expressed publicly, their love and affection for each other.

These actions have really added to my appreciation of the value of such an initiative and I believe that fathers out there can be encouraged to actively take part in shaping the next generation into a much better one!

Moreover, the memories you build while being involved in your child’s life are the most rewarding and lasting ones you can carry with you.

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