Fatherhood 5- Fathers of Excellence

Apparently the kinds of fathers I’ve been talking about are something kind of new, sort of rare and in the making. David Blankenhorn explains:
"Defining and celebrating the New Father are by far the most popular ideas in our contemporary discourse on fatherhood. Father as close and nurturing, not distant and authoritarian. Fatherhood as more than bread winning. Fatherhood as new-and-improved masculinity. Fathers unafraid of feelings. Fathers without sexism. Fatherhood as fifty-fifty parenthood, undistorted by arbitrary gender divisions or stifling social roles."

Well, I’m a witness. I hope these posts have opened all our eyes to both the unfair treatment we give to many fathers as we lump them in with others who are not fulfilling their place in the home. I also hope this has given us a chance to honor men who have stepped up to the plate and brought excellence in the home and in parenting. I am so excited to get to witness this beautiful love affair every day between father and child. It was a delight to be on the receiving end and still is, and it’s another realm of beauty to get to experience excellent fathering from the parenting end. There is nothing like love in action. I didn’t realize until I started looking into this topic what a tough job caring fathers have. They have to first combat the fears in them, then the attitudes of society and even, often criticism from the mothers. Then they have to invent a new path for themselves in this seemingly unchartered territory. Not that there has never been good fathers, but it’s a new day, a new era and men are slowly being invited to be involved in child rearing as never before. This must be somewhat daunting… like a wild adventure, full of heroics and strength… the perfect place for the father of this generation, the perfect fit for our favorite in house dad, also called Brian, hon or DAEEEEEEEE!!!

Brian, you are a father of excellence. Thank you for forging this beautiful path, for completing, complimenting and giving spice to my parenting, for investing sacrificially in your son and soon to be here daughter. We delight in who you are as husband and dad.

And you dear reader, what do you think the future of fatherhood will bring?