“I feel some kind of way about Dad’s never getting any love on TV or in books. Why is that?”
-Me
My wife and I were talking the other day and she was sharing some insights from one of the 8,000 books she’s reading in preparation for our kid coming. I gotta give it to her. She reads a lot faster than I do. And she’s been plowing through them. I’m hoping that she remembers everything so she can share with it me as it relates to the birth and newborn rearing.
Anyway, she was saying that in this particular book, the writer refers to men as an after thought in the birth and parenting process. “As you get closer to your due date be sure to take a class or read books about your pregnancy so you can be prepared. Be sure to share what you’ve learned with your partner”, the book says. It’s as if we are hands off and not wanting any participation.
2 words: That sucks.
How do we expect to change perceptions about being fatherhood and parenting if society doesn’t make it a point to show Dad’s being involved. As for me, I’ve been involved from the beginning. No I didn’t read a ton of books. I read one. And it didn’t even have to deal with having your first child. It had to deal with having your second kid and what it’s like raising your kid with another on the way, what important life skills you want to impart in them, and how to be surprised when you’re told your having another baby. And this one wasn’t “planned”. It was insightful, hilarious, and real. And I loved every minute of it. We went through 12 weeks of The Bradley Method and I took notes. Lots of them. And enjoyed every minute of it. Maybe because I love the human body and learning to appreciate what my wife’s body is capable of is pretty amazing. But I was there. And I plan to show my son as much as I can and give him experiences that hopefully will leave an impression that’s deeper than “just something cool that we did together”.
In the meantime, I hope that advertisers get their acts together. I hope they start to portray us in a different light. I hope that men across the world make it their business to be involved and thrive on those moments with their families. That life is not just born of the mother of your child. It’s both of yours. So let’s not just have the Frosted Flakes commercial be our only representation of a father being involved. Or mom’s being the ONLY ones that can be there to pick their child up and help them become an Olympian. Dad’s need some of that shine too!
Dad’s STAND UP!