Good Work By Good Men

The more projects out there that try to get conversations with men (and women) going the better. I recently came across The Good Men Project and their goal is to jumpstart this conversation via a documentary, book and some 'unconventional' conventions. All royalties from the book go to The Big Brothers Big Sisters Association and The Boys and Girls Club. Definitely a project worth checking out, supporting and getting involved with.

You Had To Be There

Admittedly, I'm not a big country music fan, but listening to Tim McGraw's new song about absentee fatherhood really touched me - especially after learning that his biological/absent father was a major league baseball player.



Here are the lyrics:

"You Had To Be There" by Tim McGraw

He sat down, picked up the phone and said Boy, I'm your old man.
He touched the glass between the two, as if to shake his hand
The boy he didn't budge, not even so much as a blink
The man said oh come on, better late than never, don't ya think.

He said I read it in the paper, can't believe you're 21,
I can't believe some son of mine could do the things I hear you've done.
He went on like some big hero, who flew in to save the day
And the boy said if your here, to steer me right, man, its too late

You had to be there, and I'm talkin from from day one.
Thats the only time a man should talk through glass to his new son
And you'd have to go back, and teach me how when i was nine
Cause my mama couldn't throw a ball even if she had the time.
I should have been learning how to fish, instead of learning how to smoke.
I bet if you'd of whoopped my tail, i'd never thought it was a joke
He said sometimes the will for doing wrong is way too strong for any mama's prayers
You had to be there.

The man said, boy I'm sorry that you hate me like you do
The boy said dry it up man, we ain't making this about you.
Its about a teenage girl against the world who was left there high and dry
About a kid who might have stood a whole lot better shot at life, but
You Had To Be There
And I'm talking from day one,

Thats the only time a man should talk through glass to his new son
You'd have to go back and teach me how when I was nine
Cause my mama couldn't throw a ball even if she had the time.
I should have been learning how to fish, instead of learning how to smoke
I bet if you'd of whooped my tail I'd never thought it was a joke
Sometimes the will for doing wrong is way too strong for any mama's prayer
You had to be there.

Before the boy hung up the phone, he said they say me I'm out of time
And it hit the man, right there and then
My god son, so am I

NYTimes Article: Parents Working Together

Check out this NYTimes article about the barriers dads face in terms of becoming more involved and how important it is for parents to not only work together but to respect their different parenting approaches. It's more evidence that people really need to be educated about how to work these things out.