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May 27, 2004 — On any given Saturday in communities across America, hundreds of veteran fathers are preparing fathers-to-be to ?hit the ground crawling? when their first baby arrives. They are the ?coaches? of Boot Camp For New Dads, a unique man-to-man training workshop that operates in 36 states as well as the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force. The class is offered at more than 200 hospitals, clinics, schools and churches nationwide.

More than 1.4 million men become fathers for the first time each year in America and at least 90% of them participate in their child?s birth. Since 1990, Boot Camp For New Dads, a non-profit organization with coaches across the nation, has oriented over 100,000 men on the challenges of fatherhood, ranging from calming crying babies to helping their spouse cope with the often-overwhelming impacts of motherhood. New fathers are assisted by program graduates who return with their babies to prepare the next group of ?rookies?, with the babies adding a serious dose of reality. With veterans, rookies and babies, Boot Camp has been characterized as a ?nursery in a locker room?.

On June 20th, Father?s Day, Boot Camp For New Dads celebrates the passion, commitment, and resolve of veteran dads who make this possible. Driven by the love they have for their own children and guided by a desire for others to feel the same way, Boot Camp coaches use their energy to inspire men who are embarking on their own fatherhood journey.

Failure is Not an Option
Failure is not an option for today?s father, and it is the Boot Camp coach?s job to insure every guy who is becoming a dad knows this fact and embraces its spirit. Under the leadership of the coach, a culture of accountability grows among the men of Boot Camp, a culture that allows little room for error but is designed to support every man who wants to do the job well for his family.

The coach represents a grassroots response to the host of social ills, caused by ineffective fathering, that permeate our society. In a time when our heroes disappoint and role models are lacking, these are the guys who are stepping up, quietly making a statement about what it means to be a man. They are role models in the truest sense to their brothers, neighbors, and communities.

This experience is not entirely selfless, and any coach will tell you that leading Boot Camp helps him be a better father as well. Boot Camp coaches have reported that they have been able to connect their positive, involved relationship with their children to their early involvement with them.

According to one Boot Camp coach, ?I had no idea that all of that early diaper changing and care would translate into this wonderful relationship I have with my daughter. The things I learned at Boot Camp allowed me to carve out a unique place in her life that remains.?

Shaken Baby Syndrome and Other Issues
Perhaps one of Boot Camp?s greatest strengths is that it promotes open discussion. During a Boot Camp workshop discussion of Shaken Baby Syndrome, one rookie dad expecting his first child explained how he typically handled frustration in his job.

?When I can?t deal with job frustration, I tend to hit or throw things. I know the behavior is not appropriate, but I work with inanimate objects that withstand a good deal of rough treatment. My concern is how to deal with the frustration of a crying baby.? This rookie dad expressed an interest in anger management training and Boot Camp coaches were able to provide resources and he quickly enrolled in anger management classes.

Another veteran dad, who was a man of mellow temperament, returned to Boot Camp when his daughter was four months old. He wanted to share his own story regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome.

?My wife was away overnight on a family emergency. I had been very involved with caring for my baby from day one, including getting up in the middle of the night to care for the baby. That night, the baby woke at 1:30 a.m. and began screaming and couldn?t be comforted with a diaper change or food. I picked her up to sooth her and began to walk through the house rocking her gently. As the crying continued, the situation became more intense and I began to rock her more energetically until the movement was almost like shaking a pop bottle. At this point, I realized I was overwhelmed and quickly returned the baby to her crib still crying, as I was advised to do in Boot Camp, and returned to my own room.?

Boot Camp coaches teach rookie dads the basic rule of thumb: If you are upset, DO NOT touch your child. It?s better for baby to lie in a crib or carriage crying than to have an upset parent or caretaker handling him/her. Injuries such as Shaken Baby Syndrome occur due to the mixture of crying baby and frustrated caretaker.

Mom?s Depression
Many moms get the ?baby blues? a few days after delivery, but most often, mom stops crying and goes back to being ?her old self?. True post partum depression is rare, but in at least 12 percent of all cases, clinical depression develops. One Boot Camp rookie recognized the signs of depression in his wife and urged her to talk to her doctor, but she insisted that she only had the blues and would recover. Several days later, the rookie dad took action and called her doctor to discuss her symptoms, which turned out to be serious enough to warrant an immediate visit. She was referred to treatment for post partum depression and continued in treatment for several months. When the condition was under control, this Boot Camp rookie?s wife called the Boot Camp coordinator to thank him for providing the information to her husband.

Boot Camp dads are special. According to one father, who undoubtedly spoke for many dads, ?I realized that I had as much impact on my child?s life as my wife does. I always thought dads were secondary in importance, but now I realize that?s only the case if they want it to be so.?

On those Saturday afternoons when Boot Camp is done and ?Coach? goes home and reconnects with his kids, he does so with a renewed sense of how important fatherhood is. He is more patient, listens more closely and hugs his kids little tighter. It doesn?t get much better than this. Happy Father?s Day, dad.

Boot Camp Locations
Boot Camp locations include ALASKA (Anchorage); ARIZONA (Chandler, Flagstaff, Kingman, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City); ARKANSAS (Springdale); CALIFORNIA (Apple Valley, Bakersfield, Corona, Fresno, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Madera, Northridge, Oakland, Orange, Pomona, Port Hueneme, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, S. Lake Tahoe, Travis, Valley Springs); COLORADO (Aurora, Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins, Fort Carson, Greeley, Longmont, Thornton); CONNECTICUT (Bristol, Brookfield, Norwalk); FLORIDA (Clearwater, Hollywood, North Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Sarasota, Tampa); GEORGIA (Atlanta, Elberton, Gainesville, Marietta, Savannah); HAWAII (Pearl Harbor, Tripler); ILLINOIS (Alton, Aurora, Aurora, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago, Chicago Heights, Decatur, East St. Louis, Evanston, Geneva, Great Lakes, Highland Park, Libertyville, Moline, Oak Park, Rockford, Springfield, Urbana); INDIANA (Anderson, Bluffton, Crawfordsville, Hammond, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, Kokomo, Michigan City, South Bend); IOWA (Des Moines, Jefferson, Sioux City, Storm Lake); KANSAS (Topeka, Covington); MAINE (Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, Ellsworth, South Paris, Waterville); MASSACHUSETTS (Beverly, Plymouth, Weymouth, Springfield); MICHIGAN (Ann Arbor, Centreville, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Niles, St Joseph, Ypsilanti); MINNESOTA (Duluth, Robbinsdale); MISSISSIPPI (Laurel, Tupelo, Jefferson City, Columbia); MONTANA (Billings, Helena); NEBRASKA (Hastings, Kearney); NEW HAMPSHIRE (Manchester, Portsmouth); NEW YORK (Glens Falls, Little Falls, Mineola, Rome, Utica); NORTH CAROLINA (Charlotte, Concord, Ft. Bragg, Morehead City, Raleigh, Shelby); NORTH DAKOTA (Grand Forks); OHIO (Akron, East Cleveland, East Liverpool, Lima, Lorain, Middleburg Heights, Portsmouth, Toledo, Warren, Youngstown); OKLAHOMA (Claremore, Tulsa); OREGON (Hillsboro, Salem, Silverton); PENNSYLVANIA (Chambersburg, DuBois, Pottsville); SOUTH CAROLINA (Greenwood, Pickens, Walhalla); TENNESSEE (Chattanooga, Greeneville, Knoxville); TEXAS (Fairfield, Lubbock, New Braunfels, San Antonio, Waco, Webster); VERMONT (Barre, Brattleboro, Burlington, Middlebury, Rutland, St. Albans); VIRGINIA (Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Hampton) WASHINGTON (Everett, Longview, Puyallup,Seattle, Yakima); WEST VIRGINIA (Wheeling); WISCONSIN (Florence, Green Bay, Madison, Watertown); JAPAN (Atsugi, Yokosuka)

Contact: Steven V. Dubin, sdubin@prworkzone.com, 781-878-9533