This Father’s Day, Let’s Acknowledge the New Age of Fatherhood

Fathering is just parenting, and parenting doesn’t have a gender.

photo: iStock

My family jokes that my grandfather made sure food was always on the table for his six children, but he would never change a diaper. A product of the fifties and a Veteran of the Korean War, he was a stern yet solid presence in the home. Crying wasn’t tolerated, although anger was acceptable, to a point. He viewed his role as a father like many men of his era, as a provider and a disciplinarian. Child-rearing and nurturing were left to the mother. As long as the family had their material needs met, his job was complete.

That changed when the grandchildren arrived. As the story goes, we were unaware of his strict rules and roles in the household. As grandkids, we had no hesitation in running up to him and giving him a bear hug. In time, he softened, and those bear hugs were returned without hesitation.

In retrospect, the image of a stern and distant father can seem cold and uncaring, yet it can sometimes be better than not having a father at all. The issue of absent fathers has been studied for some time, and its impacts are far-reaching.

The world is changing and evolving gender roles and traditional expectations are shifting for fathers. Ronald Levant…