Wicomico County’s Fathers Foward Group host first ever Man-To-Man retreat
Fathers Forward
MARYLAND – The Wicomico County Fathers Group is hosting a Man-to-Man Retreat this weekend in Eden. 50 local men are set to gather together to encourage and uplift fathers and or father figures in order to be effective parents or guardians.
Darius Tillman, community school coordinator for Pemberton Elementary School, is most importantly,a father. He can’t wait to attend the Man-to- Man retreat this weekend.
“I was a bit taken aback by it, because I had never seen an initiative strictly for fathers,” he said.
Tillman says he is anxious to learn new ways of communicating, adding that listening to your child is key.
“Generally, this is supposed to be where the fathers can come together, they can talk about their experiences,” Tillman said. “We do workshops to help them build relationships with their children, relationships with their spouse or their child’s mom… What I want to get out of the program is maybe, moving away from yelling, moving away from being extremely loud with my children.”
That’s something that fellow dad Jeremi Sterling agrees with, and admits it’s something he struggles with. “I just want to actually engage and listen to my kids a little better,” he said.
Sterling is the Community School Coordinator for East Salisbury Elementary, and member of Fathers Forward. He feels that there aren’t enough spaces for father figures to get together and just decompress.
“A father’s story is never told, we’re always forced to suppress certain emotions behind being a father,” Sterling said. “This is an avenue for all fathers to come to one circle and be able to express those emotions. If you want to cry, it’s ok, if you’re sad, it’s okay. and just to have a brotherhood of support.”
Sterling says the biggest issues that fathers face today, are being able to express themselves.
“A lot of times as a man and as a father we don’t understand our own emotions, and society forces us to suppress those feelings, so we just keep it inside, and when it come out, it come out as anger,” Sterling said.
The retreat aims to encourage and uplift all men, and you don’t have to be a father to join the club.
“I think for all fathers, and even if you’re not a father, maybe you’re an uncle, or a brother, brother- in -law, and you want to make an impact on a child, I think this might be the program for you,” Sterling said.
This weekend’s Man-to-Man retreat will be first of its kind. It starts at 4 p.m. on Friday, and ends early Sunday afternoon. Topics of discussion will include building better relationships, parenting and co-parenting, and effective communication to name a few.
The first 50 guys have already registered, and organizers are ready to bring it back bigger and better next year. Until then, the group also has a weekly father support sessions on Thursdays at 7 p.m. via zoom. It is a confidential safe place for dads and father figures to share experiences, joys, and challenges.
