Early or off-timed entry into fatherhood is generally associated with numerous diminished wellbeing statuses including developmental, human capital, socioeconomic, couple and child relationship statuses for his child and the family of procreation, including the father (Johnson, 2001).  First paternity among fathers “on-time” is generally associated with more enhanced well-being outcomes for children and the family (including the father) because the term “on-time” implicitly assumes that the father has completed the developmental tasks associated with the transition from adolescence into early adulthood. First paternity during middle to later adulthood is largely unexamined with respect to assessing fathers’ personal satisfaction as well as their anxieties and fears.

Scholarship that examines fathers’ first entry into paternity is limited but it has largely focused on their preparation to assume expected instrumental roles.  Cooney et al (1993) examined the relationship between timing to fatherhood and men’s parenting behavior and impact based on early transition to first time fatherhood (up to age 23); on-time (24-29) and late (30 and older)-analysis of fathers from a “nationally representative sample.”  First entry into paternity at various stages of development, specifically adolescence and early adulthood as distinguished from older adulthood and those who enter paternity “on-time” as expected, yielded roughly anticipated findings on fathers’ performance in social roles.  In short, older fathers’ performance as instrumental providers was far more successful than their younger fathering peers.  There were mixed results across all fathering groups when assessed on dimensions of paternal nurturance. 

Empirical inquiry that examines the range of hopes and aspirations as well as the anxieties and fears that shape individual perspectives and are shared by first time fathers at various stages of the life course pose an innovative approach.  The historical and contemporary environmental and contextual experiences of African American males offer a unique glimpse of the ties that bind these men across various status dimensions. Burton employed qualitative methods to examined young African American mothers perspectives about maternal expectations but the paternal perspectives of African American fathers across developmental statuses remain largely unexamined. 

Using focus group and individual in-depth interviews, the study analyzes the individual and collective perspectives of 54 African American fathers who became biological fathers for the first time within 1-2 years of one another.  Roughly one third of the fathers (n=21) are adolescent or young fathers before age 25.  Roughly one third of the fathers (n=18) entered fatherhood between ages 26 and 39 and the remaining group of men entered fatherhood age 40 and older (n=15).  All fathers are employed in order to examine the impact of labor participation on father involvement.

The similarities as well as the distinctions in paternal perspectives among first time African American fathers who enter fatherhood at various stages of human development reveal both individual as well as group consensus within distinct developmental status groups.  There are also shared perspectives across groups.  The expected mechanisms reported for addressing paternal challenges are distinguished by the fathers’ individual and collective experiences and contexts. Implications for policy and practice are proposed.