By Kenicia Francis
In light of this Father’s Day weekend, Observer media is highlighting some of the notable fathers in Antigua and Barbuda.
Derrick Edwards, a football coach with the Ministry of Sports, is one such father.
Not only did he raise three children of his own, but he has also been a father figure to the countless children that he has coached.
“As a coach, you’re a parent for everybody. It’s something that I cherish a lot, because at least, if I can help two kids to get out of a certain situation, it’s a job well done for me. I’m not a professional. I’m not a psychologist, but at the end of the day, when you’re around kids for a period of time, you see when they’re having problems at home. They would prefer to share it with the coach than to share it with anybody else,” he said.
He admitted to Observer that in the beginning, he struggled balancing the attention and time his biological children needed from him, and those whom he coached, as he would often have to step up as a father figure to them.
“It was tough. But you have to understand that you are a parent, and you bring them into this world, and you have to support them in every way you can. You have to go out there, you gotta work hard. You have to find food to put on the table. You have to still help them with their homework, etc,” he said.
He explained that he would have to bring his children to the football field with him while coaching, because there wasn’t anyone that they could stay with.
He also explained that he had to be there for the kids he coached because a lot of them hailed from homes that had problems.
“Some of the kids, they’re coming from different backgrounds and sometimes they just need somebody to love them, to put an arm around them. A lot of times, I see some kids come to training and they’re not in a good mindset. I will ask a lot of questions. Sometimes they don’t even have money to pay for the bus back home. So, everytime I go to training, I always have extra money in my pocket to give the kids. Because sometimes they need lunch, you know, they need some little thing,” he said.
He also offered some advice to the dads out there also trying to find that balance, “Everything you do, you have to put God in the mix. I think that you have to have a strong mindset. You have to have your goals, set boundaries, set your time management. My advice is never give up. Always put your best foot forward. Do the things that you know you’re supposed to do. Be a good role model because it’s important. Let your kids see that you show love and affection to everybody at all times.”
In closing, he told Observer, “We all make mistakes in life. It’s not too late for someone to make amends with their kids. If you have to go and say, ‘Look, I’m sorry for the time that I wasn’t around. I’m sorry for the things that I have done, but I need to make amends, I need to make a fresh start.’ It’s not going to be easy, but at the end of the day, you have to show it. You can’t only talk it, you got to show it.”
