Dads Are Heroes By Alvah ParkerMy friend, Dovid Grossman, who is
father of nine children, told me he intended to have a website and teleclass series dedicated to Hero’s Journey for Dads. He wanted to use framework of a Hero’s Journey to engage in a discussion with fathers on parenting.
I was somewhat aware of idea of Hero’s Journey from PBS series The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers. Still I couldn’t see how he would use model with Fathers. “What is it about Hero’s Journey that interests and excites you?” I asked him.
He told me he had just read Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey, in which Vogler says, “I came to believe that Hero’s Journey is nothing less than a handbook for life, a complete instruction manual in art of being human.”
Wow! No wonder he was excited. He wanted to use what happens in a father’s life – ordinary trials and tribulations father’s face as “a handbook for life”.
Grossman believes hero’s journey can provide a solid framework to help fathers to better understand their role. “There are many truth’s in world” he says, “like we know gravity always works. It is common experience of it that resonates with us.” So it is with Hero’s Journey.
As fathers discover aspects of their own journeys they will also see that they are involved in multiple journeys with their children. Using what they learn from each journey helps both father and son or daughter to confront and expedite future journeys.
Dovid’s explanation gave me idea to see if I could use something that happened in my own life as a Mom that might help me understand concept as it relates to Dads. Since I had learned to ski late in my life (I was almost 40!) I plotted my experience into 12 stages of Hero’s Journey. (Go to www.AwesomeDads.com for stages) I could see it clearly now. But so what?
