By Allan Shedlin
Grampsy and Founder, Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F)
In last week’s post, I noted that the roiling national climate in the aftermath of the elections has prompted many of us, individually and organizationally, to reexamine, restate, and recommit to our principles and how they drive the way we live our lives and spend our time. I continue that examination as a new administration takes shape.
The fact that Wednesday, November 20, was World Children’s Day – a day of global action for and by children to honor and uphold the human rights of every child – provides an opportunity to remind ourselves that our work at DADvocacy Consulting Group (DCG) and the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) is foremost about the wellbeing of children. The day also marks the adoption of the largest international human rights treaty – the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). And the U.S. is unconscionably the only nation, or Member State, that has not officially adopted the UNCRC! Yep, you read that correctly.
As we are made aware daily, children globally are facing a multitude of what is traditionally described as “inhumane” conditions and challenges. Unfortunately, I am coming to believe that we are causing these conditions and challenges to be all-too-human. As Walt Kelly presciently noted, using his beloved comic strip character Pogo in a poster he created for the first Earth Day in 1970, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
During my half-century career working with and for children and those entrusted to their care, I have long believed that a contributing factor to not doing more to protect them is our habit of describing them as “the next generation” or “at risk.” Both terms provide an excuse for not taking greater immediate action on their behalf. It would be more accurate to describe them as the youngest generation and to acknowledge that they are in trouble – not merely at risk. If we acknowledged that reality, our humanity would compel us to take more sustained and vigorous action now.
One of my daddying colleagues I most respect, Dr. Rufus Lynch, a father, grandfather, Fatherist, Child Welfare League of America Senior Fellow, and National Association of Social Workers Pioneer, describes his work on behalf of fathers as “focused on child wellbeing through the lens of fathers.” It's an important reminder that our work with dads is primarily about children and families.
As films and videos have begun to be submitted to our 4th Annual D3F this week, it is heartwarming (and often heart-wrenching) to see how many include the importance of maintaining our focus on children. I had the privilege of screening one such film this week at New York’s Big Apple Film Festival, Everything’s Kosher by Adam Fried, which is also now available to rent and stream online. The film deals with a dad, Adam, pulling out all the stops to be there for his daughter. If you'd like to see it before it screens during D3F 2025 (Everything's Kosher is our 1st official selection!), you can rent it over Thanksgiving.
2025 Call for Entries NOW OPEN!
Allan Shedlin has devoted his life's work to improving the odds for children and families. He has three daughters, five grandchildren, as well as numerous "bonus" sons, daughters, and grandchildren. Trained as an educator, Allan has alternated between classroom service, school leadership, parenting coaching, policy development, and advising at the local, state, and national levels. After eight years as an elementary school principal, Allan founded and headed the National Elementary School Center for 10 years. In the 1980s, he began writing about education and parenting for major news outlets and education trade publications, as well as appearing on radio and TV. In 2008, he was honored as a "Living Treasure" by Mothering Magazine and founded REEL Fathers in Santa Fe, NM, where he now serves as president emeritus. In 2017, he founded the DADvocacy Consulting Group. In 2018, he launched the DADDY Wishes Fund and Daddy Appleseed Fund. In 2019, he co-created and began co-facilitating the Armor Down/Daddy Up! and Mommy Up! programs. He has conducted daddying workshops in such diverse settings as Native American pueblos, veterans groups, nursery schools, penitentiaries, Head Start centers, corporate boardrooms, and various elementary schools, signifying the widespread interest in men in becoming the best possible dad. In 2022, Allan founded and co-directed the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) to enable students, dads, and other indie filmmakers to use film as a vehicle to communicate the importance of fathers or father figures in each others' lives. Allan earned his elementary and high school diplomas from NYC’s Ethical Culture Schools, BA at Colgate University, MA, at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and an ABD at Fordham University. But he considers his D-A-D and GRAND D-A-D the most important “degrees” of all.
