Daddy evolution

Comment on a Newsweek article: “Just Don’t Call Me Mr. Mom: This generation of fathers is more involved in child care than ever.”

Rebel Dad: The stay-at-home dad revolution, online
The piece bugged me: its a reminder that just doing better than our fathers or the guy down the street isn’t actually enough to make a difference. How you can possibly be the most involved dad around without doing any of the cooking/cleaning/errand running/etc. is beyond me. I know that every family divides responsibilities differently, but it seems that if you want to wear the “new dad” label, you need to do some actual heavy lifting.

To the above point: Yes and No.

While I do actively participate in the above familial tasks, I think it’s very important to spend the quality time playing, reading or just laying on the couch with the kids on a rainy Sunday afternoon, especially when they’re younger.

I think the errands and tasks also help them come to learn that sharing the load with your partner is important, too.

Oh, and to the part in the article about the butt sniffing, you haven’t lived until you’ve had your toddler breach the Pamper and create a river of diarrhea flowing through your kitchen, only to find remnants later on – and in – your laptop.

Yup, that’s one of the kids’ favorite stories about Abby’s early years.

I’m just grateful it was a PC.