Military boot camps are designed to prepare men for a life-changing role that requires them to do their very best. When Greg Bishop coached Southern California Marines on fatherhood, participants noted the parallels and the name “Boot Camp for New Dads” stuck.
A day’s work covers the basics of becoming a father, including perhaps the most nerve-wracking for rookies—holding a real, live infant. Participants watch and practice with “stunt babies” brought in by program veterans. “Babies are pretty fun,” says Bishop, MBA ’81, a father of four and one of 13 siblings. “They’re fairly mechanical and straightforward, which is easy for guys to figure out, like fixing cars or computers.” No student has ever dropped one.
The majority of the 150,000 men who have participated in the “nursery in a locker room,” now in 40 states and Japan, attended under spousal duress. Usually, they leave with some degree of emotional preparedness, in addition to practical information. With a “no women over 2 feet allowed” rule firmly in place, participants start off talking about what their own fathers were like and move on from there. The biggest topic: dealing with the changes in new moms. “We spend a lot of time discussing ways to support and understand new mothers,” Bishop says.
Participant fees vary by location (from free to $50), and the workshops are underwritten by proceeds from Bishop’s handbook, Hit the Ground Crawling: Lessons From 150,000 New Fathers. Sprinkled with anecdotes and advice from veteran fathers, the book covers ground from pre-pregnancy to forming a new family. “When you add up all the problems that result from absent dads, you get a long list of all kinds of issues,” Bishop says. “For us, it’s a huge opportunity to make the world a better place. We’re on a mission.”
