The men's breakfast began as an outreach to the fathers and other men. They met on a Saturday morning, had breakfast together with their children, then the children went off to child care and the men were taken on an orientation tour of the center. It was a huge success. Men seldom have a chance to get together with their kids in an informal way, especially fathers who don't live with their kids. The monthly Saturday morning group, with the focus on the group activity of cooking breakfast, provided just such an informal opportunity.
Breakfast is cooked by the men, and they eat with the children.
The children go into child care while the men have a chance to talk to each other. They may discuss problems such as jobs, money or relationships. You'd be surprised how supportive it can be for six or eight guys to sit around the breakfast table and talk about problems of shared custody, visitation issues or long-distance discipline. Stan, you've been helping families with childcare issues for a long time, and for the past fourteen years or so have specifically focused on involving men. But you have to reach out strongly to men.