Over the last few years there has shift in the role of being a Dad. Back in the days, dads were the figures in the household that you didn't speak to unless spoken to. They were a threat, "You just wait until your father gets home!" because they were seen as the authoritative disciplinarian who ruled the roost. They were seen as clueless in the kitchen and baby department. They were hardworking and always worked outside the home, but once in they sat down in their LazyBoy after a hard day's work, they expected to be catered to and waited on by their willing children and wives. I have been discussing the Daddy Role a lot these past few days with other dads, and boy times have sure changed
Let's take a moment to discuss some of the normal things I do daily, that a father 30 years ago would have balked at. I do work a full time job outside the home, that part is "normal", and I also go to school full time online. At home I play with The Brookie, rock her to sleep each night, help my wife clean up the kitchen, change every diaper when I'm home, read close to 30 blogs a day, keep up my social life with the other Dad Bloggers, and I even manage to sleep!
Yes, I know I am a busy man, but that's my life, and I love it.
Dads still seem to have a bad name in a lot of circles. We are still viewed as bumbling idiots when it comes to our kids. The media still shows us as the parent who you can't leave the kids alone with, because the kitchen will get flooded, or the baby ends up wearing a trash bag for a diaper. The thing is, we aren't idiots or clueless anymore. We care about how our kids are raised, and we do crazy things like research vaccines or put cloth diapers on our kids. We don't want our good deeds to be ignored anymore!
As of right now, the Wife is a stay-at-home-Mom. She takes care of things while I am gone at work, and she does a great job at keeping The Brookie from burning the house down or sacrificing goats in the name of toddlerdom. And sometimes the house is even clean (okay, more than sometimes). But when I get home I make sure to help out, spend time with my kid, put down the smart phone (still working on that one), and enjoy this role of being my kid's dad, because it goes by so fast. The point is, just give us dads some credit - most of us aren't doing too bad.
