Our Father’s Fathers
“Anyone can become a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” This popular quote by an unknown author is reflective of society’s new vision of the role of fatherhood.
If you take a small step back into the past, just a few, short decades ago, a father was the sole breadwinner for the family. It was his duty to go to work and provide for the needs of his kin. Typically, the mother stayed home to raise the children. The relationship between a mother and her children was loving and affectionate while the rapport between a father and his offspring was more disconnected and authoritarian, implementing most of the serious discipline.
A Continuously Shifting Role
Step back into the present time and you will see a more balanced approach to parenting, with many of these transformations coming as a result of changes in society. Partially due to economic strain, an increasing number of mothers have taken on the additional responsibility of providing supplemental income for the family. Since mom may no longer be home to take care of the household chores, dads have been thrust into a position where they are now equally liable for completing these domestic duties. And, although they may not wear the dainty apron with the strings carefully tied in the back, fathers are showing that they can give Sally Homemaker a run for her money.
A rapid rise in divorce rates has also created a swift influx in the number of single dads. Taking on both roles has also required fathers to make adaptations in their parenting techniques. Dads are emerging with softer, more placid methods of child-rearing.
From the day he learns he is going to be a father, a man in the second millennium transforms into his new role in a completely different manner than those who have preceded him in this journey. The Fathers-to-Be of today often attend Lamaze classes, go to prenatal appointments, and can read from numerous informative baby books written just for them. The fact that dads are typically in the delivery room at all is a leap forward from the disassociated conventions of the past. Today, more than ever, you are likely to see a father tackling diaper duty, meticulously scrubbing bottles, and thoughtfully packing diaper bags.
These changes in behavior do not end once their children grow to be toddlers and beyond. Reading to his son or dancing with his daughter; instructing his children how to cook, clean, or plant a garden; and helping with homework and chores are everyday activities that traditionally were left up to the mother to perform. Even guidance in areas such as morals, values, and spirituality are facets of life in which fathers, who customarily took a back seat in these areas of instruction, are emerging as frontline teachers.
