I couldn't find any hard facts with regard to how the role of "dad" has changed over the years, but from my own experience, dads today are nothing like my dad was 35 years ago. Some of the easy observations are:
- My dad never changed a diaper. Dave changed many.
- My dad didn't cook or do dishes. Dave does both.
- My dad never did laundry. I won't let Dave do laundry.
- My dad didn't help my mom with much of any parental responsibilities. Dave and I truly parent as a team.
- My mom didn't attend to any of the vehicle maintenance. I tend to all of our vehicles. I can even do brakes, change oil, and a myriad of other things!
My point is that we've all come a long way in our evolution as people. Men and women seem to create partnerships, and the lines that delineate our "traditional roles" have surely blurred. Men have really stepped up to be there for their kids and ultimately bettering themselves.
The big winner in this evolution is our kids. There is so much to be gained by our little ones from the different ways men and women parent. It's even more beautiful when men and women marry people they really like and stay together setting an example of what happily married really is.
Do you have a great story about your dad? Share it with us, and let's all pay tibute to "Dear Old Dad!"
3 comments:
So i never thought of myself as a daddy's girl...till one day i woke up and realized that, that wasn't a title of being a spoiled little girl but having that special bond with your dad. its a bond that drives my mother crazy because she doesn't get how easy it is for us to get each other...it makes it so i can always go to him and have the cool calm rationality of dad or the excited lets do something crazy mentality with him also. yes all parents have to be an adult and parent first but when they are your friend it is the best feeling in the world also. i love my dad so much sometimes he can do no wrong. even in my dreams hes the hero. once in a dream he gave me a puppy and for whatever reason i was down it made it all better...so even in my dreams her take care of me...dads are so incredible! GO ALL DADS!!!
Too bad you can't see the good qualities your father brought to your life. I'm sure your father had alot of strenght and integrity that may have been overlooked.
My Dad did have a lot of strength and many good qualities. My point was just that dads of past, in many instances, not all, were not as plugged in to the child rearing activities. It seems to me that the perception was that raising kids was women's work, and making a living was left to the men. There will be some posts about the good in my dad. Funny though, I was not close to my dad because he wasn't that kind of man. I sure didn't mean to communicate that my dad didn't have good qualities, he certainly did.
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