Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of the month of June to recognize the impact of all fathers and father figures in their children’s lives. This Father’s day we sat down with a fellow Novaneer, Pascal Ombango and asked him about his experience as a father, the fears he had and the impact being a father has had on him. We also take this time to wish a Happy Father’s day to all father and father figures, we recognize you and we salute you!

We hope you enjoy Pascal’s heartwarming interview with us on his experience of becoming a dad.

Tell us about yourself and your role at Nova Pioneer?

My name is Pascal Ombango, a father to one cute child Christian Bellamy Ombango. I am currently the Associate Dean of Residential Life at Nova Pioneer – Eldoret Boys’ High School. I still consider myself new in the role but so far, the role has taught, stretched and brought a lot of joy and challenges my way. All in all, I have managed to pull through because of my belief in God, manager and colleagues. 

How would you describe yourself?

I would say I am highly favoured and loved by God. This has given me the courage to be extremely ambitious in life and it has mostly worked to my favour. Someone I know always refers to me as a go-getter, I think it has something to do with my ambitious nature.  

I am passionate about two things; my family and my professional/career growth. My family is my support system that trusts and depends on me. I am tasked with making sure that I never disappoint them or break that trust. Professionally, I am still putting all the possible pieces together to ensure that I continue growing, supporting my students and developing a healthy network with my colleagues. 

What does fatherhood mean to you?

Fatherhood is the art of bringing up a child in the best possible way whether they are your biological child or not. By being there for them whenever they need you. Being a responsible father means that you are doing the following;

• Availing the daily basic needs of your child i.e food, shelter, education, and clothing
• Instilling in them the acceptable moral values of life i.e respect, obedience, and humility
• Equipping them with the required life skills that will see them depend on themselves when time is right

Can you describe to us how you felt the first time you found out that you were going to be a dad?

Honestly, I was scared. I did not feel like I had what it took to take care of this new life as a dad. I have previously baby-sat my sister but my mum was fully responsible for her.  Now here comes a new baby that I am not just going to baby-sit, change his diapers or bath him,  I am also responsible for his feeding, sleeping, health, his coming in and going out, his safety and as if this were not enough, I have to make sure that he recognises me as his dad, be it through my scent, touch or voice.

I was very sure that I would love the baby as a dad should. I was just not sure whether I was ready for all that the baby would come with. Somehow, things have into place as they were meant to. He is almost four years old now and he has become a beautiful masterpiece life brought my way.

Do you believe in the notion that one has to be fully ready/prepared to be a parent or is it something one learns to be once they have a child?

I do not believe that there is a perfect dad or a dad of the year. I did not feel ready but I am confident that I am doing a good job so far because I learnt a lot of things once my baby was here. Sometimes, it just happens unexpectedly and you cannot afford to go missing simply because you do not feel ready.

A lot of the parenting skills that our fathers put in place are things they have learnt on the way either through their own experiences or by reading parenting books or magazines or by attending parenting workshops or conferences. You only need to be ready to learn how to be a good father.

What lessons has fatherhood taught you?

My parenting skills will be rated depending on how my child turns out to be. It’s upon me to make sure that I am rated highly by being a great dad. I don’t have to be a perfect dad for my kid to turn out well. There are a lot of challenges that come with fatherhood; if I miss a step today in my fatherhood journey, I make sure that I rectify it the following day. Some of the skills I have applied are things I have learnt along the way and I bet I am not doing such a bad job after all.

What were your biggest fears about being a dad?

My fears were and still are whether I will bring him up appropriately and accordingly. We have seen a lot of our fathers losing their children to drugs, crime, and bad morals. I am not sure if I am doing what needs to be done as a dad so my kid does not fall into any pitfalls but I can only hope and do my best. All I can do is ask God to guide me in my fatherhood journey.

What are your best moments on fatherhood that you did not expect?

The trust my son has in me is on an unimaginable level and this has brought about my best moments as a father. Due to his trust in me, when he was two years old, he would climb on a table and jump off it as he called for me , letting me know that he is on the table and that he jumping. As his father, I was always there to catch him before he could hit the ground. This is the highest level of faith I have seen in someone towards me. He knew that I would never let him hurt himself in any way. He has never tried doing that when I am not around because he knows that ‘daddy’ is not there to catch me. With this level of trust, I have to make sure that I never disappoint him otherwise, I would break this trust he has in me. 

There’s a joke told that the older we grow or when we have children, we tend to be more like our parents. Are there ways you have found yourself having similar traits to your parents and if so, how?

I don’t know about other fathers but I think it applies to me. I am more like my parents. I have seen my parents break their backs so I could have food on the table. I am not from a well off family and the fact that I have never slept hungry is a clear indication that my parents toiled to make me who I am today. I am like my parents because I wouldn’t want to see my son lacking food. 

All that I do, the commitment and the time I invest in my work is to make sure that I see a smile on my son’s face at all times and not tears because he is hungry or is lacking something. This is something I have clearly inherited from my hard working parents.  

How has fatherhood changed you?

I have become more responsible, keen to details and mindful of my son. One thing I always remember is that I am no longer alone and my son is here to stay and stick with me forever with this,  I have to be responsible in my expenditure and make sure that I avail to him every little item/commodity he will need, be it milk or bathing soap.  I am keen on details in the sense that I never ignore anything, for example, whenever he comes back to the house and tells me, ‘daddy my finger hurts’. I would want to know what really happened and if it’s something that needs urgent attention or not. I am mindful of my son. Like I have mentioned before, he is part of my life now and I always think of him in every decision or step I take.

What are your hopes for your son?

I am hoping that, God willing, he will be a God-fearing man, obedient, respectful and humble. As far as I am concerned, these are some of the key traits that we should uphold if we want to live long and see a better tomorrow, some of which entirely depends on my parenting skills. Additionally, It’s my prayer that God gives me the resources needed to give him a comfortable life and a good education.

What message would you like to leave for soon to be dads and dads during this Father’s day?

To all the to be and the current dads, it’s your day today. Feel proud because you’re going to be or you’re currently pulling out one of the heaviest tasks I can think of. 

Our own dads have done a good job in and through us and we are just returning the favour through their grand-children. We can do it. Do not tire, don’t give up. Happy Fathers’ Day!