Grove Dads, this is for you

Brian and five month old Oliver.

Grovite Brian Koles has started a new group for dads and their kids. 

"It dawned on me a few weeks back that all the Grove moms have play dates where they commiserate and gossip, but we dudes aren't as good about getting together with the kids to hang and have fun," says Brian. So he came up with the Grove Dads group. 

"My hope is that this evolves into a series of get-togethers we all look forward to," says Brian. Since June is Father's Day Month, what better time to start the group. I think Brian has a fantastic idea here, with all the new young fathers moving into Coconut Grove these days, it's a perfect way to meet new friends and possibly make life-long friends for the kids.

An Inaugural BBQ Breakfast is planned for Saturday, June 11. It's free and will take place at Alice Wainright Park (2845 Brickell Avenue) from 10 am until noon. Register here so Brian has an idea of how many will show up.

Brian is quite familiar with the Grove, his wife grew up in Miami and went to Ransom. He grew up in New York. Since moving from NYC to the Grove two years ago, it occurred to him that the neighborhood is largely young families where the dads generally aren't as good at getting together with the kids as the moms.

"I've been lucky that my wife has roots here, which has helped me make a bunch of great friends with similar life situations, but I'm a firm believer that 'life is better with company' and always want to meet more good people. It's especially hard to meet other new parents when you work full time and your kids aren't yet in pre-school or kindergarten, where there's a built-in connection," says Brian.

When Brian first brought up the idea of a dad's group, his friend were all for it and pretty quickly, Grove Dads was formed.

Brian is hoping that the group will evolve into more adventurous/active get-togethers (e.g. softball games, trips to the zoo/museum, fishing trips, etc.). He is open to all ideas. Everyone is welcome, as creating a tolerant environment is important to him. "I'd say the intent is for kids ranging from newborn to 4-ish to come with their dads. Nobody will ask a mom or anyone else to leave...but I imagine dads will be most comfortable," Brian continued.

You can go to grovedads.com and sign up for the newsletter.