Women today are locked in a noble struggle to overcome sexism and to reach equality in the workplace, juggling all the while their many obligations at home. Men just suck at laundry. And forget to pick up the birthday present for Jenny’s party. Where mom’s struggle to balance career and home is heroic, her failures a result of an unfair system and high aspirations, dad’s is a touch pathetic, his shortcomings a result of sloth or a carelessness, evidence of a lack of commitment.
It’s easy to unleash a torrent of complaints about today’s dads. Just ask a mom if she has a 50/50 marriage.
It’s a tough moment to be a dad. Expectations have changed radically, stereotypes are being defied, male identity reshaped. And it’s a good thing. A change that allows us to enjoy more the things that are really important in life. It is a rare voice that understands both the historical and societal origins of this change, and the impact that it has on the dads standing over changing tables across the country.
That’s why I think that everyone that reads this blog or visits DadLabs or any other dad site with any regularity should read “The Daddy Shift: How Stay-at-Home Dads, Breadwinning Moms, and Shared Parenting Are Transforming the American Family
If I can finish The Wheel of Time’s Lord of Chaos tonight, I’ll start reading this in the morning. Trying to stay on task to get the Wheel books read before the next one comes out.
Well, I finished it. Good information there, but it wasn’t easy to read. I’ve now heard quite a few people say the same thing. He starts out quoting way more than he says himself. It reminded me of a college sophomore paper that way. The information is good and useful, but it can be difficult to chew.
That said, I took some suggestions out of the book to apply to my own SAHDness. Overall, it was a good experience.