Aaron Jackson and his son, Takoda, share a cuddle. When Takoda was diagnosed with global developmental delay at 5 months old, "I decided I needed to find out how men who become caregivers, fathers like me, find solid ground and move forward.” Photo from Aaron Jackson.
Wayne pilots us down wide, empty streets lined with houses in desert hues, typical for suburban Phoenix. I’ve traded Melbourne’s wintry weather for the Southwest’s arid splendor to carry out research for my book, Worlds of Care: The Emotional Lives of Fathers Caring for Children with Disabilities (University of California Press, 2021). I want to explore how fathers caring for children with severe cognitive and physical disabilities make sense of their circumstances, and learn about the factors that mediate their experiences. I hope that by understanding the lives of these men I can better understand my own.
Not much in my past prepared me for my life as a carergiver. When my son Takoda was given the diagnosis of global developmental delay when he was 5 months old, I felt as though I was cast adrift on some strange and unfamiliar sea. I was deeply uncertain about how my new life fit within the overall context of my life. I decided I needed to find out how men who become caregivers, fathers like me, find solid ground and move forward.
When I was researching my book, parents like Wayne spoke to me about the overwhelming responsibility of caring for someone with significant cognitive and physical disabilities. In the case of fathers, traditional understandings of masculinity that valorize individuation and eschew emotional intimacy can aggravate the difficulty.
To read more of Aaron J. Jackson's article, please click here.
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