Reflections: Daddy & Me Fashion Show




My daughter and I participated in the Daddy and Me fashion show this past Saturday hosted by the Fatherhood P.R.I.D.E (Parental Responsibility Inspiring Dads Everywhere) program in Jacksonville, FL.  Fatherhood P.R.I.D.E. is a part of the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition with the specific focus of providing comprehensive fatherhood services to the dads in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties.  It was our first time participating in a fashion show (my daughter and I had one prior opportunity but scheduling won't allow us to participate) and initially my daughter and I were excited as we thought is was a great idea and it created a special time for us to bond.
I learned so much participating in the Daddy and Me Fashion show about my daughter, my myself, and the meaning of our interaction.  Leading up to the fashion show all was well but as the date grew near I must say I felt a little pressure.  What would we wear?  How many people would be in attendance?  Would family and community members come out and support the fathers that were stepping out of their comfort zones?  Well, I had to put all of my concerns on the back burner when I noticed a concerned look on my daughter’s face.  She had just gotten her hair done and was looking every bit of the beautiful young princess she is.  The words she spoke next shook me, “Daddy, I’m scared.  It may be a lot of people there”.  Those big brown eyes looking up at to me for reassurance and peace.  Little did she know the same things that were on her mind were also on mine.  I told her those in attendance would be there to support and celebrate our efforts and more importantly I’d be with her every step of the way.


As it turned out we had a marvelous time. The most pivotal moment to me, was when I had the opportunity to put a crown on my daughter's head.   To me it signified the manifestation of our talks at home when I identify her as my princess.  It reiterated at least to me the importance of instilling family values into my daughter on a continual basis.  There were other takeaways from the event in which I highlighted below.

  1. We have to face our fears in order to overcome them.  Often times the hardest part of any new endeavor is to get started.
  2. It's necessary to continually create space for open communication within the family structure as well as reiterating the world family means we are in this thing called life together.
  3. It's important to define family values and pass the proverbial legacy torch to our next generation.



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