I was driving what felt like 170 on the 403 when we got into late evening traffic. I began having those terrifying visions of catching a baby in the car. I know lots of people would think that would be exhilarating, but the thought of a baby coming at me in that way almost made me pass out at the wheel.

For the Aka people of Central Africa, the commitment, among the fathers, to reap the myriad rewards of a deep relationship with their children has resulted in the creation of parenting practices that would seriously challenge our Western understanding of gender roles.

My transformation was born of a desire to be and have more than what my predecessors and siblings had. It drove me to live above my family’s and society’s low expectations of me.

As a child, he was my hero; as a teenager, my teacher; and as a woman, he is my very best friend.

Today, The Black Daddie’s Club brings you the narrative of a child.

The youth-based initiative, Young & Potential Fathers (YPF) is promising and ambitious in addressing one of the most pressing issues affecting the black community today: absentee fathers and poor parenting skills.

For those who loved but felt that they were not loved in return by their fathers, for those who are reliving their past with their actions or inactions toward their own children, this is for you.

Sometimes, when we speak of Fatherhood, we often forget a very key element in the process: the Woman. Married or unmarried, together or apart, the very narrative built and born within this child is rooted in the essence of the relationship between the two Life Givers.

The cost to the child of a father absent in the physical most of the time, though he is present in the heart, soul and mind… is it ever enough?

Basically, before getting hitched, and definitely before considering a family, one should learn how to juggle four balls masterfully – which means you can keep four balls suspended in the air for five minutes…blindfolded. Don’t worry if you can’t (yet), because most people can’t. Just keep practicing.