28/09/2022
Dedicated to all Fathers.
Growing up in the 90s, I remember looking anxiously at the clock everyday, waiting for 6pm and the sound of my father’s car in our driveway. Both my pet dog and I would
charge to the door and be greeted with matched excitement by the Man returning home after a hard days work. My elation came from the selfishness of finally
replacing ‘Mummy ke haath ki maar’ with ‘Papa ka pyaar’ but for him, the sheer sight of his happy children jumping around him, updating him with their day’s stories was a relaxant enough.
The role of the father was well defined as the provider, the bread earner, the Sunday outing in charge, and the goto parent after 6pm.
Fast forward to the 2000s and these boundaries got dimmer, the stereotypical father began changing. His
parenting went beyond Sunday outings or family vacations, we witnessed role reversals. The working mothers gave way to more involved fathers.
The father of today had to do a lot more than just earn for the family, he had to attend parent teacher meetings, sports days, participate in play dates, play bad cop as much as he would good cop. We called it Co-Parenting. The onus of disciplining no longer lay with the mother while that of spoiling and pampering with the father.
While every mother was always considered a Superwoman, the father was no less than a HERO. He had a say in everything. He chose his baby girl’s name, he
changed his baby boy’s diapers, he decided which school his children would go to, he decided their birthday party themes. He was now available round the clock, courtesy the mobile phones and internet. There was no switching off from fatherly duties once at work, and he never
complained.
The father of today wants to make himself available, wants to be just a phone call away, wants to be an equal parent.
Two years of Covid, has only reinforced our faith in this species called “Fathers” They have shown us that they can work from home as well as work at home. They have
proved to be multitaskers and our support systems. They have enjoyed every waking moment of the lockdown with their children. They have gone to the extent of admitting that they ‘miss being home with the kids’ now that it’s
over.
The ‘Father’ has always been an integral part of our lives.
Once an unsung hero, he is now ‘the man of the hour’ a champion, one who needs no medals. The fact that the his
arm’s are a safe place for his child is reward enough.
In the words of Dan Brown….
Dads are the most ordinary men turned by love into
heroes, adventurers, story-tellers and singers.
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