Dads Can Do (almost) everything Moms Can

When we think of primary caregivers for children, most of us still think of Mom first -- even after all these years of women's and men's rights movements, and the number of single-father families out there. It seems that we're more ready to accept the term "Mr. Mom" than we are "Dad," when it comes to taking care of the children.

However, the fact is that today, there are a great many fathers who are taking a vested interest in caring for their children. The fact that we still think of the term Mr. Mom at all truly shows us how little our attitudes have changes over the years about the father's role in the family.

Just as women resent an expectation that they should be the parent to stay home and care for the children, so do men dislike the assumption that their role as a parent is not equivalent to that of the mother. After all, as a parent, a father is a father, not a surrogate mother.

Any perceptions held by society that men can't nurture the way mothers do are simply wrong. Simply stated, dads are able to do everything that moms can - alright, almost. There doesn't seem to be any way, as of yet, for fathers to perform breastfeeding functions. However, fathers can burp the baby when s/he is done feeding.

Traditional attitudes about the limitations of fathers have lead to quite a challenge for new fathers. While women spend a lot of their lives learning about being mothers, men find themselves completely unprepared for parenthood when the baby comes along. This commonly leads to unjustified feelings of inadequacy which are only increased with every new phase of the child's life.

What fathers today are learning is that taking on an equal parenting role doesn't have to mean imitating what mothers do. Instead, it simply means sharing the parenting equally with Mom. It is healthy for the parents and healthy for the kids. A different perspective from Mom can give children a broader view of the world in which they live.

The best way to get into fathering is to begin early. Fathers should feel welcome to attend the OB/GYN appointments and become as active as possible right after childbirth.

As soon as fathers get a sense of doing something with their kids on a regular basis, the more comfortable they will be in their roles. With this security, they soon discover that they can indeed do (almost) everything that Mom can.