Homemadedad
Today is June 14. It’s a date that will always be special to me because it was my mom’s birthday. She would have been 72 today. Though she left us in body only 3 years ago, she was abandoned by her mind several years before that in her struggle with early-onset dementia. Curiously, my mom’s …
Increasingly, dads are choosing to play a primary parenting role in the lives of their kids and families. And they’re doing it for a variety of reasons: emotional, cultural and economic. But don’t for a minute think that society’s attitude to what has traditionally been considered “women’s work” is changing as fast as individuals and …
A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post called “Primary Parental Unit” which was recently reprinted on Role/Reboot. Prompted by the reprint request, I reread the original post and felt it deserved an update. When we originally came west to Alberta from Ontario, our motivation was an exciting employment opportunity — not for …
There has been lots of media coverage over the past days about the Conference Board of Canada’s report on the deplorable absence of female executives in Canadian corporations, but little discussion of the real issues underlying the grim statistics. The situation is not much different in the US, where women executives have also appeared to …
When you’ve got young twins like me – a boy and a girl – most activities are done together. That’s how I describe the benefits of twins to people: most of the time, I say, it’s not double the work because the kids are at the same age and with that comes some associated “parenting …
I originally wrote this as an article. As part of an experiment in repurposing content in a different form, I authored this version as an interactive slide presentation. I wanted to get away from the standard web page layout and to intensify the experience of the content by adding some compelling images and a soundtrack. …
I work as a social media consultant to professionals, which means I help them develop authentic personal brands online. I’m also a primary parenting dad, which means I’m the one who holds down the fort on a daily basis – not my wife. In the course of my work, I come across a lot of lists …
Do we need a day to thank our fathers for all they do and have done? Well, of course we do. At least, a day. Father’s Day, for me, is the ultimate paying it forward holiday. We start, as children, being taught to honour our fathers on this third Sunday in June. I distinctly remember, …
One of the trickiest parts of being a primary parenting dad is the moms. I mean, I like moms and sometimes it feels like I have more in common with them than other dads. Yet, this is precisely the tricky part. On a typical day, I see more moms than dads around the school and …
Marriage and parenthood is about nothing if it isn’t about compromise. But there are some unique and significant adjustments that usually have to happen when men take on the role of primary parent. First, expect to meet some resistance – from your kids, your spouse and even yourself. Kids aren’t used to the whole dad …