Have your students make a list of words or phrases which describe a good father. They can be adjectives (caring) or nouns (provider). Everyone should be able to come up with 10 items. Then ask them to do the same for a bad father. (You should make up your own list.)

With their lists ready, have them read Julio Pagan’s account of his own teen fatherhood. Play devil’s advocate. Do they think Julio is a “good” father? (He’s clearly better than men who abandon their kids, but ask your students not to compare him, but judge him by a higher standard--what is good for the child?)

Does a good father have to set up housekeeping with his baby and the baby’s mother? Why does Julio think about moving in with Maria and the baby but hasn’t done so yet? Should a good father have a good job? Would a good father have drifted away (or allowed himself to be pushed away) from his pregnant girlfriend? Would a good father let his grandmother take care of his baby all day? What is the baby missing by living with one parent and then the other? What does Julio do to prove he is a good father by your class’s standards? Is it possible for a teenager to be a good father?

This article raises important issues for teens who decide to have babies. You might want to discuss these issues with your class as a sidebar to the good father discussion. Which partner is responsible for what in child care? Who pays the bills? Should the parents get married? Can teen parents finish high school? Go to college? What if there are no grandparents around to look after the baby? Again, focus this discussion on what is best for the baby.