Got kids and no time? Does it feel as if you’re constantly juggling the briefcase and the diaper bag?
Being a dad can be a wonderful thing, once you get passed the bewildering thoughts of ways you can screw it up, right? FathersatWork.com reports that 70% of working fathers have a difficult time balancing their professional and personal responsibilities.
According to Time Magazine, 85% of fathers today aspire to fully share parenting – men are no longer choosing between career success and time with their kids: they want to have both. So, statistics aside, the preconceived notions of what a dad looks like simply doesn’t fly any more. Dads are doing double duty. Like many moms, dads come home and work a “second shift”. This is largely because so many families are dual-earning families, sharing the work that goes with running a family. However, dads are still, according to research, the sole or primary providers for 85% of dual parent households. No pressure!
Although today’s dad has tripled the time he spends caring for his kids (and does twice the housework compared to dads of a generation ago) it turns out that workplace and corporate cultures have not kept up with these changes.
Truth is, it’s not easy, and the perfect work-life balance probably doesn’t exist. The main thing is figuring out what’s important to you and what works for your family.
When dads are able to succeed at work and be involved at home, families benefit. Research shows that kids with dads who are involved in their lives from the start have better health, better grades, higher rates of graduation, as well as lower rates of incarceration and teen pregnancy.
Fatherhood can be complicated, and if you’re winging it, like most dads, we have a few tips to help you become an even more awesome dad than you already are:
Pencil in your kids. Make sure you spend a little time with them before bed, this will take planning and purpose on your side to prioritize your day with the end in mind. Have “family night” once a week – no interruptions, no excuses.
Talk, talk, talk to your partner. Set aside 30 minutes each night after the kids have gone to bed for mom and dad to talk. Work as a team.
Eat healthy and exercise. Good nutrition will give you fuel to burn the candle at both ends and exercise will give you energy to do all that.
Learn to say no. Define what’s important and commit to that, say no to everything else.
Be flexible. Life comes fast and hard and it’s important to be flexible in how you deal with it. Adapt and improvise.
Speak to your employer about working flexible hours. Get to the office early so you could attend special events. Make the effort to be physically present.
Resolve not to take work home or do it after the kids are in bed.
Make time for YOU. Find what you like to do – and then do more of it. If you can involve your partner or the kids in your downtime activities, all the better.
So, dad, above all, show your kids that you love, love, love them. Oh, and love their mom. When mom’s happy, the kids are happy. And dad will be happy too! Everything else is just details.
Source: www.parent.co, hbr.org, books.google.co.za, www.huffingtonpost.com, www.livestrong.com, time.com, www.allprodad.com, www.smartparents.sg, www.aha-now.com, www.buzzfeed.com, www.thespruce.com, healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au, www.parents.com, www.success.com, www.fatherhood.org, parentsatwork.com.au, www.menshealth.com, www.artofmanliness.com, zenhabits.net, theguardian.com, www.bustle.com, www.parenting.com, www.slowdownfast.com , goodmenproject.com, www.businesnewsdaily.com, www.thebalancecareers.com, www.dailyworth.com
