In the period November 17 – 23 the man in the family will be in the spotlight, and the reason is Father’s Week – an initiative within the framework of the “To be a Father” national campaign. The goal is public attention to be attracted to the benefits of men’s active participation in family life for the creation of domestic environment without violence, totally devoted to the kids. The campaign starts end-September and it is entirely new for Bulgaria and East Europe. It is a part of the MenCare international event, held in over 20 states on 5 continents. 10 NGOs support the initiative in Bulgaria, being experienced in the work with children and parents. The Bulgarian family is looking for its new face, thanks to the dynamic changes in our everyday life. Traditional patriarchal relations are being transformed into partnership and equality between the two parents, the results from a national research show, carried out at the campaign’s preparation. Around 97 percent of moms and dads agree that the most important decisions, related to the kid should be made together. “If some 30 years ago men found it embarrassing to express their emotions and to help their wives to take care of the kids, now we witness a new image of the dad, who is actively involved in the raising of the children. The problem is that the volume of work is much bigger than before and people have very little time for their families,” comments Deyan Petrov from the Parents Association – the coordinator of the campaign. What is the place of the father in a family?

“Dads are really great, regarding the creation of a strategic view on the future, what is to happen to the child after it reaches maturity. They are really active in games too,” Deyan Petrov explains. “A game is not simply a moment, when parents take rest from serious tasks related to the kid, it is also the most effective way to teach a kid something. Fathers can enter quickly different social roles, the child can get actively involved through a game, seeing the important sides of life. This is a really essential role. Fathers also get more and more involved in everyday housework and the care of the kids, but still their share is lower on moms’. The latter remain the leading parent, as far as hygiene, health and education are concerned.”

What do we expect from Father’s Week?

“The idea is different organizations – schools, kindergartens, state institutions, companies, NGOs etc., to carry out their own initiative, related to the underlining of the role of the father,” Deyan Petrov further says. “So far we have requests from more than 50 organizations in Bulgaria that will join the event. Some of them will organize a football tournament between fathers and kids, others will invite a father to school for an open class. Pupils will find that interesting, as we know that men are far outnumbered by women in the educational system. The Sofia-held initiatives of the Father’s Week can be seen on http://mencare.bg”

The campaign’s organizers will also collect interesting stories of children and grownup kids on the role of their dad in their life, or another person, significant enough for their life – a coach, a relative, a teacher… The stories will be published on the website and will be accessible to anyone, interested in the subject.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev

Photos: courtesy to Parents Association, "To be a Father" campaign