Dad's Day at the Capitol highlights importance of father figures
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A huge crowd of Louisiana fathers and their supporters came together for the first 'Dad's Day at the Capitol.'
It's meant to spotlight the important role father figures play in children's lives.
Self-described 'dadvocate,' Andrew Apparicio, shared his story of becoming a parent in hopes of inspiring and connecting to others.'My twins were born premature, and unfortunately, after eight days, my daughter passed away,' said Apparicio. 'My son was in the NIC unit, and as a first-time dad, this was one of the most difficult times that I ever, ever faced,' Apparicio mentioned.He and others like him report a confusing mix of feelings when it comes to fatherhood, from joy and pride to loneliness and isolation.'I've never felt more disempowered than at the birth of my first child twelve years ago,' said Geaux Far Louisiana Hamilton Simons-Jones. 'The experience that I thought was supposed to be filled with joy was actually really scary and really lonely.'
Senator Royce Duplessis is co-sponsoring the 'Fatherhood Engagement Task Force' resolution, which was filed in the legislature this year.
'We're here today because fatherhood matters, yet, far too many kids in Louisiana are growing up without dads consistently involved in their lives,' Duplessis mentioned.He's calling for a statewide task force to study best practices and recommend policy changes to better engage and support fathers across state agencies, which he believes will help our state's future.'Children with involved fathers are 39% more likely to earn A's in school, and 45% less likely to repeat a grade,' said Apparicio. 'We're here to facilitate relationship building and advocacy between fathers from across the state.'Duplessis said children with involved dads are 80% less likely to go to jail, and twice as likely to go to college and secure a stable job. Louisiana currently ranks among the worst in the nation for policies that support and engage fathers, and has the highest male incarceration rate in the U.S.
Dad's Day at the Capitol highlights importance of father figures
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