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The Modern Dad: An Everyday Superhero

Written by Melissa Robertson

In honour of Father’s Day, we want to thank all of the fantastic daddies out there. Happy Father’s Day! 

 

A lot has been said about the modern mother. Whether she spends her days at home with her children or outside of the home pulling double duty, there is no doubt that today’s moms are rising to the challenges of parenthood. But what about the fathers?

Today’s dads are a far cry from the Ward Cleavers of the past. These days dads are not only pulling diaper duty, they are often doing it while simultaneously cooking dinner and helping with the latest science homework. In honor of this Father’s Day, let’s take a moment and celebrate everything that is the modern Dad.

My own husband stepped into the role of primary caregiver in our home when he took paternity leave after I had my second daughter. It wasn’t a vacation from work or ‘playing mommy’, instead it was six weeks of quality time with our two year old and 10 month old. He went to the play groups, even though he was often the only dad there; did crafts, watched lots of Treehouse and went a little nuts. The time did give him an appreciation for the isolation one can feel for being the stay at home parent, but when I look at what my husband does on a daily basis it makes me relish my yoga pants freedom.

By the time my two year old wakes me for six am cuddles, my husband is already clocking in at work across the city. As a union plumber, but his duties and location can vary from day to day, but the one constant is that he returns home after at least eight hours of hard labor, often caked in mud. After battling traffic on the 90 minute drive home, my husband is greeted by three little girls who rush to be the first in his arms.

After a quick shower, he is in full daddy mode: listening to the stories of the day, appreciating art work and kissing boo-boos, breaking up baby fights and cuddling while watching the latest episode of ‘Scooby-Doo’.

After our dinner time eating battles, which consist of a mixture of begging, threatening and bribing with cookies; it’s off to bathe our three little ladies while I clean up the kitchen dinner dishes massacre. My husband has always done bath time in our house. By about 7pm I find I welcome a little alone time, even if it comes with a sink full of dishes.  Lucas enjoys the time with the girls, even if it can come with some hardships.

Our oldest daughter has always been a bath time pooper and my husband has always been the ‘scooper’. For about 36 solid months, I would be mid-clean up and hear “poop!” Not because he expected me to come up and clean it up, but because I needed to assist in removing the children from the now tainted tub so he could perform a toxic waste removal.

Once the girls are clean and in their PJs, the next on Luke’s to-do list is reading the same five books for the 500th time because the girls love to listen to the way daddy reads ‘Green Eggs and Ham’. Prayers, kisses and cuddles, often with a song or two and then he is able to finally collapse into our couch.

Weekends are a time for relaxation, but Lucas is always in full dad mode. Whether he is waking up early to eat cereal with the girls in the living room, or packing a huge lunch so we can all spend the day at the zoo, my girls know that they are my husband’s first priority. As wonderful as I think he is, Lucas is not the exception, he is the rule. Amongst my peers I know many dads who volunteer in their children’s activities, take them on regular dates, and put their all into their role of ‘daddy.’

Single dads, two dads, and dads who take on children by choice, are all the modern day heroes to our next generation.

So let’s take a minute to celebrate dad this weekend. For all you do, this blog’s for you.

*Opinions expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of Parent Life Network or their partners.

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