Exhibition Director of the Ist Baby2Toddlers Expo,??Jennifer Highland sharing a light moment with Health Minister Donville Inniss.??
Men in Barbados have been urged to play a greater role in their children’s lives.
This call came recently from Health Minister, Donville Inniss as he addressed the opening of the first annual Everything Baby2Toddler Expo 2009, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two-Mile Hill, St. Michael.
Recounting his own experience as a father, he said: "Everybody speaks about mothers, but I have to tell you I am very proud to be a father. ??It is knowing that you have the responsibility to help shape and mould that individual. We have to take our responsibility as fathers a lot more seriously than we do.
"There are a few good men out there who actually take the responsibility of a father seriously… I urge all men to be in the birthing room when their child is being born… It is part of the bonding process."
While noting that if Government were to continue its mandate to children first, it must focus primarily on parents, Minister Inniss said, however, that corporate Barbados played a critical role and had a social responsibility to ensure wide access to a range of services for parents.
"We are all well aware that it takes a village to raise a child. And, it is the moral duty of each and every one of us to make sure that no child is left behind," he stressed.
To this end, he commended Exhibition Director, Jennifer Highland, and her team for the initiative and noted that the Expo was useful to parents, especially those who were challenged in meeting all their plans.