From the honey do list to an equitable lifestyle

How’s your child’s daddy doing?

Dads are generally doing really well in the evolving role of parenting. They are more likely to contribute to household chores and parenting duties more than past generations.

Parental leave gives moms and dads the option of sharing time off work to care for babies. These days it’s not so odd to have a dad dash out of the office to pick up a sick child at daycare or school. He’s also more likely than ever before to book time off to catch the school play or classroom presentation.

The modern dad of my kids took a couple of months off work when the boys were infants. That was more than 20 years ago but the affects of that parental immersion linger and the bond remains. Even though I was also at home with the kids at the time, he participated in the day-to-day mundane and the random joyous events experienced in the parenting trenches.

He witnessed the neediness of an infant and the demands of his care. A planned outing would be delayed by yet another round of breastfeeding and diaper changing until it was shifted to the next day’s agenda or possibly the next.

Even before we had children, my husband did share in the housework. My mom would always say, with a tinge of adoration on her face: “Oh, yes, Vic helps” when I declined her offer to help clean up after a family function that Vic and I hosted. He’s a man quite different from the majority of those in her generation.

We’ve never divided duties equally but our shares are equitable. He knows I’m mostly joking when I say he doesn’t know what I’m up to because he can’t see into the kitchen from the couch. If you’re feeling that you’re shouldering too much of the family responsibilities, check out the article about shared parenting in the Toddler section. Next year daddy might be doing even better.