CHRISTINE HARVEY / L’Observateur / June 19, 1999

As the last Father’s Day of the 20th century quickly approaches, single dads still do not receive the kind of recognition for rearing children alone that single mothers do.

Though mothers have historically dominated single parenthood, fathers who play the part of “Mr. Mom” are just as capable of being a child’s solecaregiver.

In St. Charles Parish, two such dads, Eric Paul Champagne and ZaneZeringue, are taking on the challenge of being their children’s father, mother, housekeeper, companion, chauffeur, chef and friend.

Eric Paul Champagne, of Boutte, has been a single dad to son Corey, 5, for the past year-and-a-half.

Champagne, whose ex-wife brought Corey for a two-week visit at Christmas 1997 and ended up leaving her son in his father’s care, said he has actually been his son’s primary caregiver since Corey was born.

“I was his diaper-cleaner, his whole nine yards,” he said.

Today Champagne, 36, spends three days a week caring for Corey before heading off to his job working 12-hour shifts at St. Charles ParishHospital in Luling, where he has worked full-time since April as a respiratory therapist.

The rest of the week, father and son spend time doing such favorite activities as going for pizza at Chuck E. Cheese and playing games onCorey’s new Playstation.

Corey is also getting old enough to try out a few new adventures.

“I just started taking him fishing,” Champagne said.

Eventually Corey will be old enough to participate in some of his dad’s favorite activities, such as four-wheeling in the Bonnet Carre Spillway and scuba-diving, in which Champagne is a certified diver.

But for now, Champagne said he realizes his son is just too young to handle those more grown-up activities.

“He’s the one who’s got to be taken care of, bottom line,” he said.

Champagne said he makes sure Corey eats well-balanced meals and tries not to give him much fast food, though Corey does love going to McDonald’s to get Beanie Babies meal boxes.

And he gives Corey his bath every night and makes certain he brushes his teeth before going to bed.

If he gets cavities, it is going to be my fault, Champagne said.

He said he wants his son to see him doing chores around the house, as well as building things and working on his car, so that his son will know how to take complete care of himself when he grows up.

Responsibility for taking care of his son fell on Champagne while he and Corey’s mother were still married because of her military career and active lifestyle, he said.

So it was only natural that Champagne have full charge of his son now that they are divorced, though his ex-wife still retains permanent custody on paper.

“I feel it’s my responsibility to be here,” Champagne said.

The times Corey does see his mom are when Champagne brings him two- and-a-half hours away to meet her in Hattiesburg, Miss., more than half-way to her house in Meridian, Miss.

He said he usually makes the drive after a long hospital shift on the weekend.

“I want her to see him every chance she can,” Champagne said.

Single father Zane Zeringue, 40, is pulling double daddy duty, as he is raising his two children alone in his Norco home.

He has single-handedly cared for son Zachary, 7, and daughter Caitlin, 4, since his divorce from their mother more than two years ago.

“It’s mostly just me doing it all,” Zeringue said.

During the school year, he said he must make sure the kids are up and ready for school before he starts work at 8 a.m. and can only work until 6p.m. so he can pick them up at the end of theday.

Without much family support in raising his kids, Zeringue finds himself not only taking care of his kids solo but sometimes hosting all the neighborhood kids, too, on a rotating basis with the other parents.

“I do all the work. They make all the demands,” he said.Summertime is the most fun for the Zeringues, when playing in the hose and eating Popsicles are cherished times for the family.

The family also enjoys watching videos and going on outings to places such as the Pensacola Naval Museum, where the kids went up in the flight simulator, and to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where they visited the children’s tent and saw a couple of bands, Zeringue said.

He was awarded full custody of his children after his divorce because he said their mother did not want to take the children away from their friends.

Zachary and Caitlin now only see their mom during supervised visits on specified weekends, Zeringue said.

This Father’s Day is one of those weekends, and Zeringue will spend it taking his kids to see his ex-wife, even though he said he made sure she had her time with them on Mother’s Day.

“Everybody forgets the fathers,” Zeringue said.

Everyone but a loving child perhaps.

Zeringue’s son won a first place prize recently in a young authors’ contest held at his school, and Zachary’s winning entry, “My Dad,” summed up how he feels about his father.

“My dad’s name is Zane. He is a good dad. He takes care of my sister andme. We all live together. Three people live in my house. My dad takes me toBurger King night. He bought a Rugrat watch for me. My dad cooks supperfor my sister and me. When I go to bed my dad hugs and kisses me. My dadis nice to me. He does a lot for his kids. I love my dad.”

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