In honor of Father's Day, we spoke with a member of YAI's new Shoulder to Shoulder men's support group for caregivers of children with special needs in the Bronx. Having children changes the dynamic of just about any marriage. We also recognize that when a child has special needs, life can become extra complicated. This is just one father’s story.

"We're in a boat and you're outside the boat."

That phrase echoes in the mind of Marco Vega, a 46-year-old Bronx father. The words are those of his wife Yndhira Rodriguez.

Yndhira is very involved with their son Julio, 7, who has autism, and her daughter Melysa Lachica, 10, who has ADHD. Marco works long days as a New York City cab driver to support his family.

"My wife is very involved with both of them," Marco says. "She's picking up Julio right now from school, will take him to YAI, will pick him up, help him with his homework … You need to have a lot of energy to be with our kids. My wife is 100 percent dedicated to the children and there's no time for me."

So Marco recently joined YAI's new Shoulder to Shoulder support group. "I'm trying to learn about what the boat is," he says. "I want to be more informed, learn more about autism and how to help Julio grow. I want to learn how to play with him and spend more time with him."

Justin Stanford, Senior Assistant ABSS with Project Intervene, explored the idea of forming a support group for men during YAI's Innovation Fairs last summer. His reasoning was that men feel more comfortable sharing their feelings when talking among themselves and without being judged. Shoulder to Shoulder will hold its second meeting on Tuesday, June 17, from 6-8 p.m. at YAI's Zerega Day program, 1241 Zerega Ave., in the Bronx.  As the facilitator, Justin can provide the men with tools to help them interact with their children in a positive way.

While the national divorce rate hovers between 40-50 percent, the figure is significantly higher for parents of children with special needs. Marco says he and his wife have many friends with children with disabilities and unfortunately most of the couples split up.

"I work with many families on behavior management and doing in-home parent trainings," Justin said. "The mothers are the main caregivers. The few dads I have worked with talk about how they feel isolated and how having a child with a disability impacts their pride."

Next week, Marco will begin a new job, driving his own town car which he hopes will provide him with the flexibility to spend time with his family.

"I'd love some day to be able to take Julio to a ballgame or the movies," he says.

Marco's advice to other fathers of children with special needs: "You need to be more involved. Get informed. Don't lose patience with your wives."