Man Up Plan Up
Are You a Man with a Plan?
You’re in control of your own life, so make a plan for it. If and when you’re ready to be a father, we’ll help you make informed, healthy choices.
The True Cost of Kids
If you’re thinking about becoming a dad, it’s important to think about financial stability. In the first year of having a baby, you’ll spend around $10,000 on baby supplies. Having a child is a life-changing event and requires financial planning to ensure that your baby has everything needed to support healthy growth and development.
Planning to be a dad? Visit our Dads page to make sure you’re ready.
Reality Check About Sex
You hear so much about sex. But how much of what you hear is real? Check out these common sex myths for the truth about sex.
Reality — Drinking and drugs may take away your fears or shyness, but sex under the influence can lead to taking risks like unprotected sex.
Reality — A woman can get pregnant the first or 100th time she’s had sex. If a woman is in the fertile time of her cycle, she can get pregnant. The only way to avoid pregnancy is abstinence. Use protection every time you have sex.
Reality — Once in the vagina, sperm can remain in the female reproductive tract for more than three days. So, even if the last time you had sex was three days ago, a woman could still get pregnant. Any time a woman has sex, there’s a chance she can get pregnant. Always use protection.
Reality — Plastic wrap and baggies are great for food storage, but do not prevent pregnancy during sex or decrease the risk of contracting an STD. Condoms are made and tested to provide a good fit and protection during sex. When used correctly, condoms are up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy.
Planning with Protection
Having sex involves risks such as unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases/infections (STDs/STIs
Another way to lessen risk when it comes to sex is to get checked. If you have sores, pain, drainage, or other changes in the genital area, contact your health care provider to get it checked out. Some things that they may check out include:
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. As many as one in four men with chlamydia have no symptoms. Sexual partners must also be treated to prevent passing the infection back and forth. Symptoms of chlamydia include painful urinating, discharge from the penis, testicular pain, and lower abdominal pain.
Gonorrhea happens most often in people with multiple sexual partners, especially between the ages of 19 and 25. The use of condoms protects against a gonorrhea infection. Symptoms of gonorrhea include thick, cloudy, or bloody discharge from the penis, pain/burning when urinating, painful/swollen testicles, or painful bowel movements.
Syphilis is passed through direct contact with syphilis sores. Sores occur mainly on the external genitals, vagina, or anus, or in the rectum. They can also be on the lips and in the mouth.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS. The virus is passed from one person to another through bodily fluids like blood and semen. HIV is a chronic life-threatening condition. Symptoms such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and fatigue can appear. As time goes on, symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, cough, and fever may appear.
This is one of the most common cancers in men younger than 40. It occurs when cells in the testicles divide abnormally and form a tumor. Testicular cancer can spread to other parts of the body, but the cure rate is excellent if it’s detected early.
An inguinal hernia may look like a bulge or swelling in the groin area. It can be corrected with surgery.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or others, see your health care provider to have them addressed.
More information can be found at CDC.gov
Take action.
Understanding health risks is one thing. Taking preventive action to reduce your risks — like seeing your healthcare provider to get regular screenings — is just as important.
Where to Get Free Condoms
New Castle County:
Westside Family Healthcare
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Floyd I. Hudson State Service Center
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Planned Parenthood of Delaware
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Westside Family Healthcare
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Children & Families First — Adolescent Resource Center (Arc) at Nemour/duPont
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Christiana Care Health System: Wilmington Hospital
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Planned Parenthood of Delaware
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Westside Family Healthcare
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Westside Family Healthcare
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Winder Laird Porter State Service Center
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Kent County:
Delaware Planned Parenthood
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James Williams State Service Center
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Westside Family Healthcare
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Milford State Service Center — Riverwalk
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Sussex County:
Edward W. Pyle State Service Center — Division of Public Health
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Thurman Adams State Service Center — Sussex County Health Unit
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Anna C. Shipley State Service Center — Division of Public Health
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Be a Great Dad!
While anyone can have a baby, it takes love and responsibility to become a good dad. Many fathers say that the key to doing so involves prioritizing the health of your mind, body, and soul.
Do you want children? Now, later, or never?
Looking for tips on how to be a good dad? We can help:
Talk to your health care provider about your health, family health history, and any medicines you’re taking. Your family’s health history may show you’re at risk for developing certain diseases in the future.
Taking care of yourselfThe thing kids want most from their dads is time. Take time to find out about your child’s day. Spend time caring for them! Our QT 30 program has ideas for ways to spend quality time with your child.
When you drink or smoke, you’re setting a bad example. It’s important to take care of yourself — just as you would take care of your baby. Teach kids good safety habits and set a good example, like using your seat belt.
Hugs from dad mean a lot! Playing games as well as snuggling, hugging, and loving them are the best things you can do for your child.
When you and your child’s mom are both on the same page, everybody wins. How you treat a child’s mother affects that child’s self-esteem.
This is one of the most important things you can do for your child. Reading is a fun way to spend quality time with your children, and it also helps promote their growth and development. Delaware libraries
Show them you value them by spending time with them, by talking and listening to them, and by praising things they do.
Even when they’re young, you can teach your child the value of money. Teaching kids how to save money is necessary. Financial protection is also essential — make sure you have life insurance, an emergency fund, and a will.
You need to take care of yourself. Give yourself some alone time and some time with your buddies, to be a great dad when you’re with your kids.
Supporting their interests and providing for them facilitates healthy attachment and shows them that you care about them.
Additional Resources
Below are resources and outside services that can help.
C’mon Man/Man Up
Man Up is a gender-based mentoring program targeting “at-promise” boys ranging from 10 to 25 years old. Man Up embraces a variety of evidence-informed modalities to encourage, educate, and empower boys during their early developmental life span. The program was started in 2004 by caring parents in western Sussex County, Delaware.
The ReManned Project
The ReManned Project is a nonprofit coaching and consulting firm specializing in personal and leadership development for adult Black males. The project seeks to break the vicious cycle of missed potential so that adult Black males can transform their lives, leadership, and legacy.
Peer Educators
Create healthy, safe communities with this woman-to-woman movement. The program arms young adults with the tools to educate others about African Americans’ disproportionately high infant mortality rates.
