ABC World News with Diane Sawyer: More Dads Raising Their Kids

ABC World News With Diane Sawyer aired a positive segment on Tuesday evening talking about the “modern American family” and how stay-at-home dads fit into the equation.  We were fortunate to have one of our own active NYC Dads Group members, Dave Lesser, his daughter Penny, and wife Allister participate in a meaningful and compelling piece on the importance of being a caring, involved, and competent father.

On a day when Dave’s daughter Penny has pink eye and clearly is not herself, and wife heads off to work, Dave agreed to have a camera crew follow him around for the entire day to catch a “day in the life” of an at-home dad.  Napping on her dad, consoling her while she is upset, trekking over to the pediatrician’s office, preparing meals, and pretend play as his daughter is the princess…no doubt Dave Lesser demonstrates his role in such a positive light.  You can truly see the joy and passion he gets from being the primary caregiver – certainly more rewarding than his previous career in law.

As Lesser says, ‘I’m Not an Anomaly’: More Dads are Staying Home to Raise Kids.  We sure are! Great to see ABC recognize the importance of dads connecting socially with other dads and highlighting the rise of dads communities.

An excerpt from the article:
Dave’s wife Allister stated, “He is more patient. … He is more easygoing. He’s just so perfectly suited to being home with her and helping her thrive in that environment,” said Allister Lesser, who returned to her job as a fundraiser. “There is no way I could do the job that he does. … I know he’s a lot better at [staying home] than I am.”

Dave said, “I knew deep down inside that I was not going to be a good lawyer. It wasn’t a good fit. … That career path was a mistake,” he said. “I never had that passion as an attorney. I do have that passion as a dad.”
Thanks to ABC World News, Producer James Wang, Reporter Josh Elliott, and of course, Diane Sawyer, for continuing to move the conversation on fatherhood forward in the media!