MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio — Thursday morning was all about dads as fathers walked with their children hand-in-hand on the way to Mt. Healthy South Elementary School.
“I really liked it because me and my dad don’t get to spend a lot of time together,” said Ella Wakefield.
Ella and her dad Dave were one of many dynamic duos celebrating National Fathers Walk Child to School Day. School officials say they celebrate the day to highlight the importance of having dads in their children’s lives.
Brent Bedgood, of the Talbert House's Fatherhood Project, was the main speaker during this morning’s events.
“Dads need to be in the home. Dads are very important to these children and how they come up in school,” Bedgood said, “how they play with others, how they communicate.”
As dads and children walked from the school board office to the elementary school, they were surrounded by drummers and cheerleaders.
To Dave Wakefield, time with Ella and his kids is priceless.
“I think it’s important for me and my kids’ lives to show them how much they mean to me and the idea of being there for them, and showing them how important they are to me,” he said.
Bedgood said his mission is to help change the tone about how dads and the role of fathers are perceived.
“I just want to shed the light that this is positive,” he said. “To see this going on — all the schools need to jump in and do this just to show and take the negative stigma off of dads.”
“Just to see an outpouring of the parents supporting their kids, that’s never a bad thing,” Wakefield said.
