Being A GOOD Dad Today…
Being a Dad…a GOOD Dad, by today’s standards is very different than being a “good Dad” by the standard of a generation or two ago. As more and more fathers decide that the corporate life is too demanding and takes too much time away from their family, an increasing number of Dads do freelance or contract work from home, or run a home based-business - all work choices that allow more fathers to be a “Stay at Home / Work At Home Dad”.
He may or may not be the “primary breadwinner” for the family . And chances are that today’s Dad may be either sharing custody of the kids - or Dad may even be the primary custodial parent.
All of these situations are things that were virtually unheard of a generation ago!
When most of us were growing up, a good father was expectedto bring home the bacon and maybe pitch a few balls to us on the weekends but that was pretty much about all that was expected. Dad provided a good example by having a good work ethic and good moral values, but the meals, laundry and housecleaning were all done by our “good Mom”, because “Mom” stayed at home and her “job” was to “keep house”…Dad’s job was, well to have a job!
Oops….fast forward to 2005 - today’s Dad is a LOT more involved all aspects of raising the kids and running the household. Today, many fathers stay at home or work at home, and are now either sharing all of the household duties with Mom, or he might even be providing them ALL as the primary parent. Mom might be out in the professional world, while Dad works from home and is the “primary caregiver” for the kids and household. Or, as is often times the case today - due to divorce or other circumstances - today’s Dad is often the primary custodial parent, a situation quite uncommon just a few years ago.
Whatever the situation is, today’s Dad is just as likely as Mom to be the one attending PTA meetings, dropping the kids at soccer or football practice, fixing dinner, helping with homework or doing the laundry.
In other words, the keyword for Dad today is “involved”. A father is no longer just handing over the paycheck and observing from a distance, he is an active participant in raising the kids and handling the day to day functions of the household.
But since most of us didn’t have Dads like this - we are struggling to figure out how to juggle it all without dropping a few balls - so DadsConnect was born. This is stage one - with much more soon to come!
DadsConnect will feature stories on home business and freelance ideas and opportunities, ways to work at home so you CAN stay at home, balancing home business and kids, health concerns, sports (everything from coaching to fantasy sports!) even a few easy to cook recipes (all tried and tested in my own kitchen!). Eventually, we will even have a forum for involved Dads to chat with each other and find out what works…and what doesn’t…in this new way of life we have!-
No matter what kind of Dad you are - part-time, full time, work at home, stay at home or career dad, whether you are looking for homework help, coaching tips, or financial advice - we hope you will find something here to help you be the best Dad you can be!