"Sacrifice" with 2nd Lieutenant, Kevin Whitehead

Fatherhood On Fire

This episode's guest is Kevin Whitehead. He's a new father to a 3 month old boy, a 2nd Lieutenant in the Indiana National Guard, a school psychologist, a PhD. Candidate in Counseling Psychology at IU Blooming ton. Key insights: How having Ellis radically changed his approach to military service. Opportunities and limitations in school psychology. The romanticism vs. reality of fatherhood. School psychology's primary responsibility is to evaluate children who may benefit from Special Education instruction. Unfortunately, the opportunities to treat children for other psychological issues, such as depression or anxiety, is severely limited in the school setting. The limitations and inability to fully counsel the students is what led Kevin to seek his PhD. in Counseling Psychology. However, most schools are unable to provide PhD. level counseling services. If you believe your child would benefit from school psychology services, but they aren't currently available. Simply write a letter to your child's school. In the state of Indiana the school is legally obligated to reply within ten school days. We also discuss Kevin's military service. He enlisted in September 2014 and actually found basic training to be quite fun. He decided to become a commissioned officer. Choosing the state route, which is roughly a 14 month process. Kevin commissioned in March of 2018. He's still actively serving in the Indiana National Guard and said having Ellis has radically changed his view of serving in the military. Kevin said prior to having a child being asked to sacrifice your life for your country, even though it sounds crazy as a civilian, doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Now with Ellis in the picture it's definitely complicated his calculations. For father's considering military service, even the National Guard, he says it's imperative that they understand the time that they will be away from their family. And that they may be asked to serve in a deadly situation. While it is possible for families to survive, many do not. He says you have to consider all the variables and determine that it is what's right for you. Kevin's advice for fathers: As a new father he's been happy with his experience. He says for people considering having a child and becoming a father ensure that your mature and ready. He's seen many people with romantic ideas of fatherhood that weren't prepared for the good and the bad. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fatherhoodonfire/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fatherhoodonfire/support