A total of 58 campers participated in the Calhoun Chick-fil-A sponsored father, son campout Friday. The event included boxing inflatable, a climbing wall, a campfire with smores, music and other activities. Campers slept at the parking lot of Chick-fil-A. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED.
“This is our second Chick-fil-A campout. It’s the first time we slept in a parking lot. It wasn’t really that bad. I’m a youth pastor, so it wasn’t any different than a lock-in,” Brad said.
On Friday, the Calhoun Chick-fil-A parking lot was transformed into a campsite for 58 campers during the restaurant-sponsored father-son campout May 13-14.
Brad said that the activities were fun and allowed him to bond with Brady.
“There were activities you could do with your son like the climbing wall and inflatable jousting. I liked the climbing wall, watching and helping him, and being able to race with him and watching him enjoy that so much,” Brad said.
Campout activities included a boxing inflatable, joust inflatable, climbing wall, campfire with smores, a midnight milkshake, music and door prizes.
Six-year-old Jacob Black said his favorite activity was the climbing wall.
“He was a little timid on the rock wall the first time going up, but after going up one time with me he must have climbed it about 30 times,” said his dad Tyron Black.
“They had it planned very well. They also had smores around the campfire. It was a neat experience,” he added.
There was also a special giveaway, including Chick-fil-A food for a year - a value of 52 chicken sandwiches. The winner was Joshua Fromm.
Jonathan Purser, owner of Calhoun’s Chick-fil-A and organizer of the event, said he learned the value of quality time by hosting father, son campouts.
“Campouts get us away from the distractions and interruptions of life and allow us to focus on our relationships in the beauty of nature,” he said. “Unfortunately, fathers are often too busy to spend quality time with their sons. Little boys need their daddys to teach them what a man looks like.”
Purser said the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Kansas City, Mo. introduced the concept and he is hoping that it will become an annual event. In the future, he also hopes to create a Great Date night for parents in the fall and will continue to host the annual Daddy Daughter date night.
Chick-fil-A first opened in 1999, and is located on Highway 53 East in Calhoun. The restaurant is actively involved with many schools, churches and community organizations. Visit Chick-fil-A’s facebook page to see more pictures of the father-son campout.
Maybe if you go straight to the triple-dog-dare it would work?
Come on Vishnu, I changed mine to show my real name, it's your turn!!!!!
Grandparent/grandkid night certainly wouldn't be a bad idea. Aunts and uncles sound good too. Congrats, dude you actually contributed something good for a change! Certainly beats your usual of wasting time on your gay agenda. Have a good one!
I don't disagree that there can be a unique relationship between a father and son. I just contend there is a unique relation involving mom that is just as important, yet is ignored.
I also agree with your birthday analogy to a point. Birthdays gifts do tend to be uniquely tailored to the individual wishes. Unfortunately, reality has shown us that the giver can also be biased (i.e. favoring one child over another, black sheep, the "accident.") If we continue to use this analogy, we see a pattern - father-son campouts, father-daughter dance/date nights. It looks like we know which "child" is favored.
If they schedule time for similar moments with moms, my contention would be pointless. Sadly, I'm not holding my breath for such a pleasant surprise to show.
You have asked yet a third question, however you still have failed to recognize the purpose of the campout.
Assuming that you are actually open to understanding the exclusivity of the father - son campout, I will address your statement that "inequality remains" if there isn't a mother - son or father - daughter campout.
If you believe that a man and a woman are the same; and if you believe that a boy and a girl are the same, then your statement that inequality remains is true.
However, if you recognize that there is a difference between men and women, boys and girls, then your statement is based on a false assumption.
Stated differently, if there were to be a mother - son campout, it would not be equal to a father - son campout since, for no other reason, the relation between father and son compared to mother and son are different because a father and mother are different.
I hope this addresses your concern about the perceived lack of equality based on the lack of mother - son et. al. campouts.
Back to my point that the campout is designed to honor the unique relation of a man and his son. Honoring this relationship is not dishonoring any other family relation.
Perhaps an analogy of celebrating birthdays will help you understand my point.
Celebrating one family members birthday on his or her birthday does not mean you are sexist. Each member of the family is unique, just like each relation within the family is unique. Each gift given to the honored member is also unique just like a father - son campout or a father - daughter dance is unique. Neither gift (or event) is intended to create inequalities or disparities. Quite the opposite, the gifts (or events) are designed to be special and particular to that family member, or in this case the relationship within the family.
I am hopeful that you are willing and able to appreciate what Chick-fil-A has done and continues to do to help families.
I know that I appreciate what they do and I would like to thank Chick-fil-A.
My sympathies for the loss of your family members. I mean no disrespect towards what difficulties you may have faced. I've witnessed similar through a divorced friend of mine. It's obviously not the same as your troubles but I'm trying to get people thinking about families like yours, believe it or not.
I'm quite serious in my attempt at this discussion. Women are just as sufficient at raising boys as men. I'm going to opine that men can be just as good at raising girls because I've seen it firsthand. Then along comes this campout for fathers and sons only.
The fact I've been trying to get to is single parent homes are a reality, regardless of how the family lost the second parent. Another reality is the single parent in these homes are quite possibly raising children of the opposite sex. It's safe to say that some of those fathers/daughters and mothers/sons might actually like to participate in this type of campout event. Wouldn't it also stand to reason that equal time (or inclusion) to support these families should be in order?
So, when's the mother-son or father-daughter campout then? If there aren't any, then it can be inferred that inequality remains.
You have asked another question: "does this mean mothers are insufficient role models for boys"?
No one has stated that mothers are insufficient role models for boys. What I stated is that fathers are role models for their sons. Likewise, mothers too are role models for their sons.
So if you have inferred that the mother and son relation is somehow diminished or discriminated against, I believe you have missed the point of having a father-son campout; it is to honor the unique relation of a man and his son.
I believe that this effort by Chick-fil-A to strengthen the bond between a father and son is commendable.
I think we can agree a healthy two parent home is the ideal environment for raising kidlets. Knowing “healthy” may be open to some interpretation, I can only relate in truth my experience: Mommy, Daddy, non-abusive, filled with love and books. It is heartbreaking to see children without those advantages. Regardless of my issue with the local operator, I give Chick-fil-A the benefit of the doubt on their intentions.
I saw that in the census bureau data I linked as well. It only went as far as 2008 though.
The Good! Divorce has been trending downward since 1980
The Bad! So has marriage.
Source (Same one I posted earlier.)
(Yes, I seem to be playing to role of buzzkill tonight. My apologies, my liege.)
I'm really sorry, those percentages look suspiciously like some copypasta passed around to various sites advocating for paternal divorce rights (fathersunite.org, tndads, f4v.org et al,) not a state agency (unless they got lazy.) Not exactly an unbiased source of data.
Also not really too relevant as to why they (Chick-fil-a) don't have father-daughter or mother-son campouts. I do agree two-parent homes tend to be beneficial for raising kids, but the reality is there are single moms/dads out there, raising sons/daughters. Having only a father-son campout discriminates against them. I'm sure there can be a compromise.
63% of youth suicides
70% of juveniles in State Institutions
71% of teen pregnancies
71% of High School dropouts
75% of children in chemical abuse centers
85% of youth sitting in prisons
85% of children with behavioral problems
90% of homeless and runaway children
This was copied from a state agency website in Tennessee. I'm sure the statistics are similar in the remaining states.
Must you always be the homophobe? Nowhere have I said anything about gays, their activities or their agenda. Nice attempt at avoiding my question though. Now once again - Does this mean mothers are insufficient role models for boys? Also, take your straw man about Ringgold elsewhere; it's despicable of YOU, dude.
@positiveoutlook
I like to argue as much as it seems people here like to think. People here don't like thinking there may a different viewpoint from theirs, so I bring another one, much to their chagrin. You've obviously seen what it gets me - amusement sometimes, assumptions, accusations, attacks, all kinds of fallacy, and (many times) disappointment. Sometimes I return in kind, sometimes I don't. If it gets a few people past 19th century (and earlier) thinking about women, I'll be somewhat content.
My stats came from census bureau records. Where's your evidence for your theory? Bring it with you next time please; I'm certainly not your secretary.