We are fortunate to have such a diverse group of fathers in our community that enjoy sharing their parenting experiences with us. Today, Jacob Drill, aka Gaddy Daddy, shares his latest romp with his son Max and about twenty other dads at the Battery Park location of the New York Kids Club. – LS
I am a stay-at-home dad with a 20-month-old son, Max. Before this year, I had only attended one New York City Dads Meet-Up Group event: the taping of the Martha Stewart Show’s stay-at-home-dad episode. So, one of my New Years’ resolutions this year was to meet more stay-at-home dads. Last Friday, I got a jump start on my goal by attending my second NYC Dads Group event: “Family Fun for Everyone” at the New York Kids Club in Battery Park. Max and I had a great time. First off, the event was well attended (20 dads showed up), which gave me an opportunity to meet at–home-dads and several working dads carving out some time with their children from all parts of the city, as well as from Jersey City. Also, besides the Martha Stewart Show taping, this event was the most dads I had ever hung out with at one time with just their kids. Normally when Max and I attend play spaces like NYC Kids Club for either a class or open play, I am one of few dads there, if not the only one. So the Family Fun for Everyone event was very refreshing and gave me a nice feeling of solidarity with the other dads.
Plus, putting aside the fact that it was all dads and their kids, the event was terrific just in its own right. First of all, the event was a great opportunity to experience the play space for two hours at an affordable price. There was a nice age range of kids — from 6 months to 4 years old — with many kids around Max’s age. The two-hour event flew by because it was well organized from the adult perspective, without being too structured for the kids. The first hour was free play, and the friendly New York Kids Club staff was around to help the kids on the trampoline and the other gym equipment. The second hour started off with a musician (from Tiny Tots), who the kids seemed to really enjoy, and the last half-hour featured more play time, along with pizza and juice.
The dads weren’t forgotten either in the refreshment department — beer, wine, and snacks were provided for them! So all in all, as I mentioned, Max and I had a blast, so much so that we are already signed up for the next “Family Fun For Everyone” event, on Friday, January 20th. This event will take place at one of the New York Kids Club’s Upper East Side locations (219 East 67th Street, btw 2nd & 3rd Ave). We are really looking forward to it, and I hope you will join us!
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