Kenneth Braswell

Atlanta Parent spoke with Kenneth Braswell, CEO of Fathers Incorporated and father to Monica and Tiarrah, 39, Amber, 27, Nzinga, 21, and Kenneth Jr., 11.

What new activity have you and your family started enjoying during this time?

My family and I are enjoying several new activities. My wife and son have decided to take a virtual class together to learn to speak Spanish. Because we are working from home, my son and I spend more time in the driveway playing basketball. It has helped me personally in not gaining too much weight. It also keeps him active and competitive.

The two primary activities that have increased in our home is the amount of time we spend talking with one another, as well as spending more time eating together. It has forced me to think more about the time that I speak to all of my children. It has also encouraged me to think about being intentional about connecting to family around the country.

How are you balancing working at home with home/family responsibilities?

The fact that we are working from home hasn’t impacted my home at all. My business began by working from home in my office located in my basement. As a result, nothing much changed regarding the way we approach our responsibilities. Having said that, we are in a new home, so we have begun to engage in home improvement activities. I have several projects, including building my son’s basketball court, my wife’s she-shed and my man-cave.

Do you have any meals that are your specialty?

I have gotten really good at grilling steaks. So much so that my family often requests that I fire off the grill and cook some nice, juicy ribeyes. I’ve been watching a lot of how-to on YouTube to perfect my new skill. I’m now on the verge of purchasing a smoker. I’ve been told that this is the new wave in grilling.

Any at-home projects you have been able to tackle?

One of the great things about moving into my new home is that we have these extra rooms to be creative. It’s just my wife and son, so we get to think about making the home enjoyable for us. I now have a nice size room to turn into my home office. I’ve already begun emptying the room, so that I can begin painting and stripping the wood floor. The next project will be my basement. I’m just waiting on creating a relationship with the right “guy.” I got my lawn-guy, pest-guy, electric-guy, roof-guy, cable-guy and security-guy. Now, I need a do-it-all guy.

Any funny dad/kid(s) moments from this time?

The funniest thing happening in my house right now is that my wife and I together can barely beat my 11 year old in basketball. The fact that we are out of breath 15 minutes into the game is not so funny to us, but it sure is funny to our son!

How do you plan to celebrate Father’s Day?

Unfortunately because of the health crisis, it will probably be spent like many other fathers, at home with my family. Other than that, if possible I would love to go to a nice cabin in the woods and near some water to get in some real rest and relaxation.

Any other advice for dads during this time?

The best advice I can give both dads and moms is to make the best of the increased time we have to spend with each other. It is unfortunate how and why we have to quarantine; however, spending intimate time with your family should be a blessing, not a burden.