Photos by Tyler Jefferson.
I remember walking into my women’s and gender studies class and seeing a guy in the back of the room hold a little girl in his arms, while looking at the professor and taking notes. Throughout my college career, I’ve met students with children, but I’ve never had a classmate bring their child to class.
The guy in the back of the room, Fulani Freeman, happened to be the student, holding one of his three daughters. Not only does Freeman have to focus on his grades and providing for his family, but he’s also a member of West Chester’s football team. From changing diapers, to studying for tests, to preparing for practice, Freeman has a lot on his plate.
During an interview with Freeman, I was able to sit down and discuss life on and off the field. Freeman comes from North Philadelphia and is currently taking his second chance with football. After graduating from Simon Gratz High School, Freeman enrolled in Cheyney University and after a semester, he dropped out. Three years later, after attending Valley Forge Military Academy and AAA Trucking and Schooling, Freeman has found himself back on the field doing what he loves to do.
Freeman on fatherhood:
Fatherhood is, without a doubt, amazing. Like, going through the struggles and going through the doctor appointments, the hospitals, getting threw up on, it’s all amazing. But, at the same time, it’s hard. It’s real. I have no other choice but to have my kids up here, and I made that decision. Like when people see me up here with my kids, that’s me being a father. And I take pride in that. I take that serious.
Freeman on his daily routine and how he has to juggle everything:
Everyday routine, first, it’s hard to get them to go to sleep. It’s hard. They don’t go to sleep. I’m ready to go to sleep at 10, 11 o’clock. and they’re up to 1, 2 o’clock in the morning. But waking up, I have to get up a little earlier because I know I have to dress me and I have to dress her. I have to feed me; I have to feed her. I have to make sure I have diapers, wipes, extra snacks, can’t forget the milk, bottles cleaned out; it’s rough. Then I have to take care of me and make sure I’m cool. Then we’re off. We go to class. They get hungry; I’ve got the snacks already ready. Now it’s time to go to practice. I carry a big pack-and-play here and there. I go down to the field; she sits in the pack-and-play. I got my phone out ready for her, that’s just how it is. And for the most part, I’ve got a lot of my teammates helping too, so it’s not just me doing everything myself.
Freeman how when he has to activate “daddy mode”:
That’s a tough question, because I can be in the middle of running a drill or something, and I’ll hear her cry. I have to hurry up and finish that drill, run over and “daddy mode.” I run back, put my helmet on, football mode. It’s like a switch every time. It’s constantly back and forth. I can’t really answer that question, because it’s like, “daddy mode” is always on.
Freeman on his daughter’s relationship with his teammates and coaches:
The relationship that a lot of guys on the team have with my kids is also amazing. They really go out of their way to make sure that they’re cool and that I’m cool as well. Like, say we’re doing reps, and I’m in the middle of a rep, they’ll go to the side, check on my daughter to make sure she’s cool. We take turns. It’s like they’re in “daddy mode” too. We’re in this together; we’re a team. They don’t let me down when it comes to her. I know I won’t let them down. I just need a little help on the side because of everything I’m dealing with, and they know that. They see that. One person that is a big help is Ch’aim Smith. He also plays defensive end. Me and him became really close when I started bringing my daughter up here. I see him as a father to her as well. I appreciate that a lot.
Freeman advice on getting through struggles in parenthood:
I would say, just be the best parent you can be, to the best of your ability. Don’t ever worry or get discouraged about what you don’t have when it comes to your children. I can’t lie, when I first had my kids, I had no money. I’m barely working; how am I going to take care of the kids? And I’m in school on top of that. At first, it started to get to me. But I had a guy close to me tell me, “It’s not about the money you spend on your kids, it’s the time you put in with your kids.” I took that into consideration, that if I have my kids with me 24/7, they’ll never even care about the money that I don’t have. I always tell young parents to be the best parent that you can be to your kids. If you have a kid, just love them unconditionally.
Tyler Jefferson is a fourth-year student majoring in communications and minoring in journalism. TJ876163@wcupa.edu