A teacher my son had said this to him about the art project he had just completed. A teacher who was supposed to bring out the best in him. A teacher whose very job is to inspire and empower all students. And so, his mind began to turn, "Was it really good or just good for a boy's effort? I am a middle school art teacher. When you train to for this profession, you are told that there are thousands of ways to praise. There is no room in art to undermine the creation, revision, polishing, and perseverance it takes to express oneself in art. In a subject where we think outside of the box, … [Read more...]
Father’s Day: Celebrate Masculinity Evolving, Dads’ Unique Roles
“Is Father’s Day outdated?” That's what Mary Schmich, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, asked in 2018. For me, the answer is a resounding “no.” As long as there are men, fathers will be relevant and worth celebrating. And, I don’t just mean “father” as though it were interchangeable with the word “parent.” A parent, in my view, can be of any gender or none at all. If you are willing and capable of taking on the responsibility of parenthood, you can be a parent. A parent’s responsibility is to educate, entertain, guide, protect, provide for and love their child. My success as a parent … [Read more...]
One Dad’s Animated Battle Against Gender Stereotypes
If some gender stereotypes seem cartoonish by today's standards, is there a better way to discuss them than in animated video? That exactly what our own Whit Honea, a Los Angeles City Dads Group member, does in a recent piece for The Atlantic online magazine. Honea narrates "Outdated Gender Stereotypes Are ‘Very Much Alive,’" a three-minute essay on his family's experience with the assigning of old-fashioned gender roles in the modern world. The video is part of Home School, an animated series about parenting produced by The Atlantic. Previous episodes tackled issues such as … [Read more...]
In the Hair Chalk Game, the Carnival’s King is a Bald Dad
When I volunteer for the annual school carnival, I usually get to run the bounce house. That’s where the action happens. I wear a black T-shirt and tell parents the bounce house is "for kids only," although I understand their desire to climb in. Bounce houses are awesome. That's the kind of job dads normally do when they volunteer. But sometimes, when you're a dad named Shannon and the new president of the PTA doesn’t know you yet, you get a job that would normally go to a mom. That’s how I found myself, a bald middle-aged man, running the hair chalk station. My first customer, the … [Read more...]
Lower Parenting Bar for ‘SuperMom’ Status, Raise it for ‘SuperDad’
I sometimes feel I write ad nauseum about how much tougher at-home dads have it compared to at-home moms. Not because of the difficulty with the job itself, although I guess you could say women are still often “groomed” for it in a lot of ways from a young age whereas men typically have a much steeper learning curve. Rather, I mean in regards to what sorts of resources are available, and how much support and understanding one gets in choosing to stay home with a child. At-home dads have come a long way, definitely, but we have much further to go. However, today I’d like to talk about … [Read more...]
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