Shakielle Powell seeks to give his son the best start in life

Vanessa James

Sunday Gleaner Writer

PARENTS OFTEN issue the warning, "Don’t have a child until you are ready," but the counterargument that one will never be completely prepared for a child is also viable. So when Shakielle Powell was told that he was going to be a father, he was slightly worried as he was still in university and was not mentally prepared for baby Kymani.

Powell explained that he knew he wanted a child at some point, but not so early. However, when he found out that he had a child on the way, he knew that he had to make that transition into fatherhood. This process was made more difficult as Powell explained that, personally, he was not in a good mental space at the time.

“It (the transition) was rough, mentally, mostly, but it also kind of built me,” he said. “It’s one of those things that you tell yourself that you have to get through because there is no other option.”

And he was right because his baby was fast approaching.

This growth and preparation helped Powell to get through his battles to ensure that he was present physically and emotionally for his little boy. As a result, he shared, he has changed since becoming a father.

“A lot has changed, but I think the main change came when I realised that making any decision, no matter how simple, I’m not just making it for myself,” Powell stated. “So with any decision, I have to consider him as well, and that is a big thing because every single thing involves him,” said 24-year-old Powell.

Powell said that the birth of his son has caused him to have a new outlook on life.

“I think in a way, Kymani being here makes me speed up a whole lot of things because there were certain decisions that I was procrastinating on in my life and career-wise, and my whole outlook on life changed,” he explained.

Powell said that he has a reasonably good relationship with his dad.

“My father has been there from day one, and I have always looked up to him as that strong figure. No matter what, he was always there to provide,” Powell shared. “But I never really had the kind of emotional relationship where we could reason about everything because he was the strict, Christian type, and we just couldn’t talk about certain things.”

Powell explained that this is something he hopes to fix in his relationship with his son, who is now two years old, because he understands that it is a very important part of Kymani’s growth.

Though Powell was not fully prepared for having a child, he has no regrets as having Kymani has made him more mature over the years and less worrisome.

“The best part has definitely been watching him learn and grow. It is amazing to see how quickly he learns and understands more and more each day, how he interacts with things around him, and how he expresses himself,” said the doting father.

He encouraged expecting fathers to ensure that their children have the best start and experience in life.

“Ensure that in your preparation, you include the mental. If you are not mentally prepared, then any other form of preparation can still crumble,” he said.

“Be prepared to nurture and teach. Bringing a new life into the world means that child will look to you to teach them everything they need to know about the world you brought them into. So even before the baby gets here, teach yourself how to teach a baby those things,” he noted.