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Friday, March 29, 2024

Dad creates hair plaiting workshop for fathers

Credit: SWNS STUDIO
Duration: 01:16s 0 shares 3 views

Dad creates hair plaiting workshop for fathers
Dad creates hair plaiting workshop for fathers

A loving father is helping other dads bond with their young daughters - by running workshops teaching them how to plait their hair.Jack Woodhams and his seven-year-old daughter Poppy are joined by up to a dozen other dads and daughters every month at classes hosted by a specialist plaiting tutor. The 38-year-old said the lively sessions enable dads to learn a new skill, while more importantly gaining the much-needed opportunity to spend quality time with their girls. He said: "I don't think lots of men get to enjoy anywhere near as much time with their girls as they should. "The classes give us that chance to do something nice together and also show the little ones that not only their mums can do their hair."Historically doing hair is a woman's job so it's great to break that barrier down."Jack, who's from York, North Yorks, got the idea after attending a children's' birthday party with Poppy hosted by plaiting expert Maria Smith, who teaches kids. He said: "I saw how much fun everyone was having and just thought it would be such a nice thing for Poppy and me to do."Maria said she was up for it so I asked a few dads if they would be too and got a great response, that's how this started."Maria has hosted more than a dozen classes since then and says the positive response of the dads, as well as their unexpected skill, has bowled her over. She added: "I really love the sessions, they're so much fun. "Everyone has such a great time and to see the amazing interaction between dads and their daughters is really heartwarming." Maria said some of the especially talented dads have developed their plaiting skill to a "high level" and are able to pull off various sophisticated designs, including sculpting hearts. Some other designs she teaches include French, Dutch and fishtail plaits.Jack, a council worker who also has a five-year-old son called Henry with wife Rose, 36, admits he isn't the most talented hairdresser - despite being the brains behind the idea.He said: "Watching what some of the guys can do now is incredible, I can't believe how advanced they have got with it. "They're even better than their wives and the girls will ask them to do it at home instead of their mums."He added: "For me that isn't really the point of the whole thing though, I just love getting to spend time with Poppy and the other dads." Jack is also a huge proponent of mental health and said his classes provide a really positive environment for men to talk. He said: "The guys obviously come for their daughters but we all end of having really important and quite deep chats. "I think that men not talking about their feelings is a real problem in society today, we bottle things up and put on a brave face."One huge benefit of our classes are that men talk to each other, the environment is so positive and it really encourages people to talk openly." The group of between 12 and 14 duos at a time meet once a month at a community centre in York for classes that last between one and two hours. In the wake of the plaiting workshop success Jack has set up a group called Yorkey Dads alongside pals Mike Hewitt and Dan Braidley.The group also host workout sessions and walks around York for men. https://www.meetup.com/menfulness/

A loving father is helping other dads bond with their young daughters - by running workshops teaching them how to plait their hair.Jack Woodhams and his seven-year-old daughter Poppy are joined by up to a dozen other dads and daughters every month at classes hosted by a specialist plaiting tutor.

The 38-year-old said the lively sessions enable dads to learn a new skill, while more importantly gaining the much-needed opportunity to spend quality time with their girls.

He said: "I don't think lots of men get to enjoy anywhere near as much time with their girls as they should.

"The classes give us that chance to do something nice together and also show the little ones that not only their mums can do their hair."Historically doing hair is a woman's job so it's great to break that barrier down."Jack, who's from York, North Yorks, got the idea after attending a children's' birthday party with Poppy hosted by plaiting expert Maria Smith, who teaches kids.

He said: "I saw how much fun everyone was having and just thought it would be such a nice thing for Poppy and me to do."Maria said she was up for it so I asked a few dads if they would be too and got a great response, that's how this started."Maria has hosted more than a dozen classes since then and says the positive response of the dads, as well as their unexpected skill, has bowled her over.

She added: "I really love the sessions, they're so much fun.

"Everyone has such a great time and to see the amazing interaction between dads and their daughters is really heartwarming." Maria said some of the especially talented dads have developed their plaiting skill to a "high level" and are able to pull off various sophisticated designs, including sculpting hearts.

Some other designs she teaches include French, Dutch and fishtail plaits.Jack, a council worker who also has a five-year-old son called Henry with wife Rose, 36, admits he isn't the most talented hairdresser - despite being the brains behind the idea.He said: "Watching what some of the guys can do now is incredible, I can't believe how advanced they have got with it.

"They're even better than their wives and the girls will ask them to do it at home instead of their mums."He added: "For me that isn't really the point of the whole thing though, I just love getting to spend time with Poppy and the other dads." Jack is also a huge proponent of mental health and said his classes provide a really positive environment for men to talk.

He said: "The guys obviously come for their daughters but we all end of having really important and quite deep chats.

"I think that men not talking about their feelings is a real problem in society today, we bottle things up and put on a brave face."One huge benefit of our classes are that men talk to each other, the environment is so positive and it really encourages people to talk openly." The group of between 12 and 14 duos at a time meet once a month at a community centre in York for classes that last between one and two hours.

In the wake of the plaiting workshop success Jack has set up a group called Yorkey Dads alongside pals Mike Hewitt and Dan Braidley.The group also host workout sessions and walks around York for men.

Https://www.meetup.com/menfulness/

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