Father’s Day…it is a day of honoring and praising dads. BUT, there is a generation of men who need recognition for helping to change fatherhood as an active integral part of
daily family life. Some of these men did not have a blueprint to follow for the
evolving family life that required a partnership in all aspects of the
marriage. The women of their generation wanted partners in family life, not a
division of labor. Women sought higher
education and wanted both a professional and a personal life like their male
colleagues. 
It was tough on couples who watched television shows
that depicted the father as “king of his castle,” or a “bumbling buffoon” who
is tricked by his “intelligently coy wife.”
stereotyping was embedded early. The “Baby Boomers” have a high divorce
rate and a much has been attributed to it. Personally, the changing face of the
roles in a marriage and women’s desires to have a partner and not another
person to clean up after may have been another underlining issue.
Hats off to all you Dads, who took turns driving car pools,
helping with bath time, reading books, did the grocery shopping, gave your wife a night off, went to parent-teacher
conferences, stayed home with a sick child, stayed home when your wife got
sick, etc., etc. You are the generation
who renegotiate the day-to-day intricacies of family living! Being a father
takes more than changing a diaper, cleaning dishes, or cooking a meal. Don’t get me wrong. Those actions are important
and part of the parenting pact. A card I
saw once wraps it up, “The best thing a Father could do for his children is
love their mother.” Do I need to say
anything more?
