Dads in Dallas, across the globe looking to support each other in Daddy Stroller Social Club
DALLAS – Kalvin Bridgewater is building a community with one common thread – fatherhood.
"A real dad changes diapers. A real dad nurtures his kids. A real dad takes care of his home," he said. "A real dad pushes strollers."
With the Daddy Stroller Social Club, he's creating a safe space for hundreds of dads to be themselves and be vulnerable about fatherhood.
"Watching everybody being able to open up and be themselves and allowing these kids to get outside ... it just kind of warms my heart," Bridgewater said.
The idea for the social club began amid his wife's experience with postpartum depression.
"I was listening and understanding like, 'Dang, maybe that's something I'm going through.' I just didn't have a community to reach out to," Bridgewater explained. "Didn't have somebody to ask, 'Can men go through this as well?'"
Becoming a first-time parent during COVID, he realized the need for a safe space to talk about the ups and downs of fatherhood so he asked some friends to meet up at the park.
"We were like, 'Dang man, we need to do this more often.' You know, it kind of helped us unload and just take a lot of weight off," he said. "So from there, I was like, 'Man, let's do this.'"
Tramel Jones, who is a father of two, says his favorite thing about the Daddy Stroller Social Club is meeting other dads who have similar values.
"Kalvin's one of our close family friends. So, we go to each others' house, we like to be basically part of a family and this is kind of a larger family, you know? It's grown a lot," he said. "Just seeing what the other dads can do, that's really inspiring."
And Jones says the benefits of having this community extend beyond himself.
"It's important to socialize them and be ready for the world that they're about to go into ... And having them have a good time without mommy. Just give her a break. That's the most important thing," he explained. "And then, they get to play together, which is fun."
When Bridgewater first created this platform, he had no idea it would become what it is today.
Daddy Stroller Social Club will soon have chapters in Houston, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. There's even been interest from the UK and Africa.
"We can do this platform across the world," Bridgewater said. "If you raise these kids with love, that's what they will put out in this world."
And his family is what keeps him going.
"I get emotional to think that, 'Thank you, God, for allowing me to be part of this journey. Thank you for allowing me to be her father. Thank you for bringing her in my life,' because the love from a child can take you far," Bridgewater shared.
If you're interested in joining him on a stroll, you can follow Daddy Social Stroller Club on Instagram and stay up to date on their monthly events.