How Do We Better Include Dads in the Parenting Ecosystem?
Did you never invite the one friendly dad at the playground to come to a birthday party because you thought asking for his number might seem.... flirtatious?
Thanks for being a member of the Double Shift. This is our weekly members-only thread and is one of the benefits of your paid membership. Don't forget to take our year end survey so I can find how to better serve you! Everyone who fills it out will be entered to win a $50 bookshop.org gift certificate. TIA!
Reflecting on my conversation with Paul Sullivan of Company of Dads has crystalized something for me: Everyone has a greater role to play in including dads in the wider culture of parenting. Rightfully, many conversations about gender equality focus both on changing dynamics within the home, but I think we can contribute to community change through relatively small actions.
I’ve had to request multiple teachers to include my husband on parent emails (even though he’s the PTA president of the school!) and one would hope that if they are asked enough, they’ll start doing it by default rather than solely by special request. But I’d like to open up this thread to brainstorming ways we can be sure to include dads. Maybe these conversations will make you reflect on some of your own experiences. Did you never invite the one friendly dad at the playground to come to a birthday party because you thought asking for his number might seem.... flirtatious? Are you realizing that the info text chain for the soccer team only includes moms? Even if you don’t have a male partner yourself, I’d love to hear your thoughts on your own conscious or unconscious gatekeeping and ways we can all work to bring days more inclusively into the wider community of parenting.
Also, if you'd like to sign in and comment... click here and enter the email address where you got this email. That should let you see others' comments and comment yourself.
Instructions for downloading the audio newsletter are here.
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this topic! Reminders: This is a community for solidarity, not advice, curiosity, not judgment... and no flame throwin'! Let's be better than the rest of the internet.