For many fathers, this year’s Father’s Day celebrations would be confined to their homes with loved ones.

The almost day-long curfew restrictions implemented for the weekend as a result of the covid19 pandemic, would likely see small family picnics, bar-b-ques, the backyard limes or dinners.

Two men who became fathers – one right before the pandemic in mid-March last year and the other during the pandemic – said they were grateful for the extra time they got to spend with their children.

Bradley Ramdeen, 30 recently welcomed his baby boy, Bryce, now seven weeks' old and his only child, for now.

Ramdeen and his wife Bridget, who recently moved into a new apartment in Diego Martin said they were thankful for the “downtime” covid19 has given them to focus on their new family.

Having to work in St Vincent at times, he said that would have infringed on quality time he had with his family.

Ramdeen who did not name the company said his job as an IT programmer required him to be absent from home for about two weeks per month.

“I worked for a company in St Vincent and because of the restrictions I was not able to renew my contract, which included travelling back and forth.

[caption id="attachment_896077" align="alignnone" width="768"] Terrence Durant and his daughter Meliyah play with a toy. -[/caption]

“I lost the contract but fortunately I did not lose my job completely. They were able to use me as a remote resource but because of these changes, there was also changes to my income.”

Ramdeen said he did not see the reduced income as a deterrent because he now had new responsibilities to focus on.

Being a new parent, he said has been a challenge especially in a pandemic but the basics on raising a child did not change.

“Even though things around us changed, the care of a child and in my case, the care for my wife at this time have not changed.

“Of course, it is difficult, but I tried my best to prepare for it in as many ways as possible, by reading books and getting much needed advice from people in my circle who were parents.

“So far, what I am experiencing is kind of what I expected but dealing with it daily was a different ball game all together.”

It was depressing at times, Ramdeen said to have to stay away from other family members who were happy to lend physical support.

He noted that the grim covid19 statistics and data warranted them to take strict actions to keep their baby boy safe.

“We need to be cautious and wise at the same time, so we did not gather. My sister has not seen my son yet and Bryce’s grandparents have to be extremely careful when visiting.

[caption id="attachment_896081" align="alignnone" width="768"] Terrence Durant and his daughter take a selfie. -[/caption]

“We have also had to cancel the baby’s christening and if this trend continues, it would not be happening any time soon. It is something we are sad about, but it is something we must do,” Ramdeen said.

One of Ramdeen’s challenges has been being able to register the birth of his baby at the hospital. H

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