Get
to know your kid while your kid is still a kid!Dads: No gift you will ever give your son or daughter will mean as much as the time you spend with him or her. The memories you and your child will make in the Y-Guides or Y-Princesses program will last a lifetime!
The Y-Guides and Y-Princesses program can help you strengthen your relationship with your child at an important time in his or her life. You already know that the early school years are a time of discovery and rapid learning. During this stage in their lives, children are becoming much more aware of the world around them. They begin to see things differently and ask questions about who they are, where they came from, and why things are as they are. As a parent, you're sought out as a guide, teacher, and even a hero during this time. You want to protect and nurture your child. And you want to learn how to talk with your child and to ask open-ended questions that cause your child to think and move beyond simple "yes" or "no" responses. You invite your child into challenges and opportunities and allow them to enter in, face a fear, and celebrate an accomplishment.
The YMCA father-child programs are purposefully designed to accompany the parent and child on this journey of discovery. While we do not argue the importance of whole family activity, we see tremendous value in supporting and strengthening the ability of father and child to communicate at an early age in ways that are respectful, responsible, honest, and caring.
Our slogans for the Y-Guides ("Pals Forever") and the Y-Princesses ("Friends Always") capture the spirit of the relationship these programs aim to instill. They're intended to describe a close and enduring relationship between fathers and children -- not a relationship of equals but a relationship of communication, understanding, and companionship. These slogans describe a satisfying and rewarding interaction between father and child, encouraging each to learn about the other and to achieve mutual respect for one another's differences. Further, it's the quality time spent with one another that really counts. The daily pressures of life are very real to parents and children. To better manage those pressures and to find life balance, the time spent with each other should be qualitatively unsurpassed in listening, accepting, and creating a sharing environment for learning and growing together.
The Y-Guides and Y-Princesses program creates wonderful opportunities for you to "get to know your kid while your kid is still a kid" and have a positive influence that will last a lifetime. The program not only helps to strengthen your relationship with your child, but it also promotes fun, fellowship, and self-esteem. We encourage you to join us and to realize all of the benefits of building a stronger relationship with your child!