Less than a week away from Father’s Day (Sunday, June 17), and all of the local parent sites are starting to publish their father’s day event lists and local happenings in the New York area. Most of the events don’t excite us, but after careful review, here are our five intriguing events that should be on your radar this week as we approach father’s day. Even though some of these events are private, we wanted to share some of the truly meaningful things happening around town.
1. Actor/writer/producer Dan Bucatinsky is launching his new book this week – “Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?: Confessions of a Gay Dad.” “While Dan has a unique experience as a gay dad, the book is about his poignant, hilariously honest journey into parenthood. It strikes a universal chord of shared experience – about child-rearing, marriage, family, and growing older – that every parent will recognize and appreciate.”
- Dan will be doing a private event tonight, Monday, June 11 with the Hudson Union Society at the Hilton Hotel. Monday, June 11 – NYC Hudson Union Society Event @7pm Hilton Hotel (top floor) 1335 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019
- He’ll also be at Barnes & Noble Tribeca. This event is open to the public on Tuesday, June 12 – NYC Barnes & Noble Tribeca Event @6pm 97 Warren St. New York, NY 10007
2. Is Equal Parenting Possible? an evening discussion with parenting research expert, Andrea Doucet. Over the past forty years, across most western countries, enormous changes have occurred in the lives of mothers and fathers. One of the most dramatic indications of these changes can be seen in the steady increase in families with stay-at-home fathers and breadwinning mothers. As men take on more care work and women take on more paid work, many intriguing questions have emerged about what is the same and what is different about maternal and paternal care; indeed, some of these questions recur in the NYC Dads Group. Underlying these discussions is a persistent puzzle that sits at the heart of today’s thinking and research on breadwinning mothers and caregiving fathers. How do we define, measure, and make sense of gender equality in parenting? Does equality in parenting imply that partners share all childcare tasks from the first day of their first child’s life or, alternatively, do they have periods where one parent does more than the other? Should a father go to community playgroup sessions where he might be the only man in the room, or should he create father-only spaces where men can learn from other men? Should women spend as much time coaching soccer or baseball as fathers typically do? If the tasks of parenting and domestic work can be equally divided, can the responsibilities also be equally shared? Speaking from her two-decade long research program on gender equality and gender differences in parenting, Andrea Doucet asks: What is gender equality in parenting? Is it possible to achieve equal parenting? Is it what we should be striving for?
- This will be a private event discussion with the fathers (and their wives/partners) of the members of the NYC Dads Group. Wednesday, June 13 @8pm
3. Dadwagon Presents: Loinfruit, Meltdowns, & Weeknight Drinking
From the editors of DadWagon.com, a bloggy celebration of the foul-smelling joys of fatherhood, comes a new monthly reading series featuring some of New York’s most entertaining dads. Every month starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13, “DadWagon Presents” will bring three procreative writers to Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-858-1951; pacificstandardbrooklyn.co
• Peter Meehan, author of the Momofuku and Frankies cookbooks, former NYT “$25 & Under” columnist, and founder (with David Chang) of Lucky Peach magazine. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and their daughter, Hazel.
• Jeff Yang, “Tao Jones” columnist at the Wall Street Journal, regular contributor to WNYC and PRI’s “The Takeaway,” and author of Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology (volume 2 to be released this fall). He lives four blocks away in Park Slope with his wife, Heather, and their awesome sons, Hudson and Skyler.
• Paul Ford, ftrain.com founder, former Harper’s Magazine editor, writer for New York, Slate, The Morning News, as well as the author of the novel Gary Benchley, Rock Star, and an all-around Internet-fame guru. He lives in Ditmas Park (which he claims is much nicer than Park Slope) with his wife and twin babies.
Where: Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-858-1951; pacificstandardbrooklyn.co
When: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13
Cost: Free!
4. Second Annual NYC Dads Matter Awards
The New York City Fatherhood Initiative champions the message dads matter. On Thursday, June 14, the initiative will present the Second Annual NYC DADS Matter Awards. The event promotes the importance of responsible fatherhood by recognizing 10 fathers from across the City who have overcome challenges to become positive and consistent forces in the lives of their children. This is one of many opportunities to show that, despite the crisis of father absence facing communities across the country, NYC Dads show up every day and are present and active in the lives of their child and communities. We are proud to announce that one of our NYC Dads Group members, Christopher Astacio, will be recognized by this wonderful program! Congratulations to Chris!
5. Father’s Day Sunday BBQ – live music from Mil’s Trills playing with live dad-trio, The Dad Beats
*One other interesting, enjoyable, and awesome family event to note is MUSEUM MILE NIGHT FESTIVAL – this Tuesday, June 12. Picture this: Ten amazing museums along Fifth Avenue open their doors for FREE from 6 – 9pm + live bands & entertainment + art in the street activities for kids.
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