All posts tagged: fatherhood

New dads share how fatherhood has changed them : NPR

New dads share how fatherhood has changed them : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

From left: Dr. Nilay Mahajan with his wife, Dr. Charu Srivasta, and their daughter, Tarini; Manik Seghal with his son, Gunagyaa; and Ajas Ahmed, his wife, Reshma, and son, Naseer. From left: family photo; family photo; family photo hide caption toggle caption From left: family photo; family photo; family photo They had always been a team. But when his son Naseer was born in May 2025, Ajas Ahmed had never felt so helpless. His wife had endured a difficult labor. The baby was breech and she struggled for over ten hours in pain. For a week, she lay bedridden in a hospital in Chennai, in southern India, recovering from the birth. Ahmed, a 27-year-old private chauffeur, stayed by her side. “She needed my support. I made sure I was there for her,” he says. Fortunately, Ahmed’s employer allowed him the time off. But long before Naseer’s birth, fatherhood had already begun reshaping his life. After his daughter, now 3, was born, he quit his job as an ambulance driver because the hours were punishing and …

Dads and Braids: These stay-at-home dads started a workshop to help fathers style their daughters’ hair

Dads and Braids: These stay-at-home dads started a workshop to help fathers style their daughters’ hair

Published by Sam Flores

There, the dads practise parting hair, combing, tying, braiding and securing the styles on mannequins. Some struggle to keep the strands in place, while others take more than an hour to learn even a basic braid. A few dads even brought their daughters – although they decided against using their girls’ real hair as demos.  “The point isn’t about being instantly good, but trying – I’m still learning with you too,” Rajendram, who led the workshop alongisde Rukshan, told the attendees.  He hopes that by the time fathers leave the room, they will feel confident enough to try again at home – this time on their girls – even if the result is not perfect. Roy Choudhury, a 42-year-old who works in banking and has two daughters aged eight and five, said he wanted to “stop being the butt of the joke at home”. “My daughters would tease each other by saying things like, ‘If you don’t stop disturbing me, Papa will do your hair!’ as if it was the worst thing that could happen,” …

Between Two Worlds: Navigating Modern Fatherhood

Between Two Worlds: Navigating Modern Fatherhood

Published by Jenni Sidey

My husband and I bickered about our domestic load-sharing for many years. One time, after the dust settled from one of our skirmishes, he opened up, “You know, I think it’s because I just never saw my father getting involved with the home.” My heart softened as it finally registered how baked-in these roles were for him. I was expecting my husband to effortlessly traverse between worlds, the one he inherited and the one I wanted us to create. A dose of compassion tamed my frustration. With more understanding, we began working together to make small changes in our home life that have since built greater harmony between us. The domestic load is just one of many aspects of fatherhood, and masculinity, that has dramatically evolved, culminating in what has recently been coined as “the millennial dad.” Millennial Dad A “millennial dad” is a father born generally between 1981 and 1996. Many (not all) of these dads are changing what fatherhood looks like. Rather than being background providers showing up for the big milestones, more …

How does God show up in fatherhood? A Muslim and a Christian grapple with the question.

How does God show up in fatherhood? A Muslim and a Christian grapple with the question.

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — For Aymann Ismail, the urge to pen a memoir about his journey through faith into fatherhood came out of a period of crisis around how to safely raise a son in the United States. For Patton Dodd, fatherhood, father figures and faith became a collective topic that wouldn’t release him until he wrote about it.  Dodd, a Christian, is the executive director of media and communications for the H.E. Butt Foundation in Texas, and Ismail, who is Muslim, is a staff writer at Slate Magazine. Their memoirs both delve into their fatherhood journeys related to their religious perspectives, yet portray vast geographical, cultural and socio-economical differences. But in a time when communities seem to be spiraling more and more into siloed and divisive living, their unique stories coalesce into quintessential American experiences with unexpected commonalities. Ismail’s memoir, “Becoming Baba,” published last summer, traces his upbringing in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the son of Egyptian immigrants. His childhood volleyed between mosque life and Islamic school under the watchful eye of his mother. The …

Failure, Forgiveness, and Emotional Inheritance in Fatherhood

Failure, Forgiveness, and Emotional Inheritance in Fatherhood

Published by Jenni Sidey

I have been a father for 40 years, a grandfather for 16 years, and a family psychologist in clinical practice for more than four decades. Throughout these years, I have carefully investigated fatherhood, and conscientiously invested in it, from both a personal and professional vantage point. For thousands of clinical hours, and countless personal, family hours, I have experienced fatherhood unfolding across lifetimes and generations. I have treated birth fathers, step-fathers, adoptive fathers, single fathers, widowed fathers, adolescent fathers, fathers of children with special needs and chronic mental or physical illnesses, fathers of LGBTQ+ children, gay and bisexual fathers, trans fathers, non-resident fathers (as a result of work travel, military deployment, or incarceration), stay-at-home fathers, ill and dying fathers, fathers who tragically lost their children to death by disease or suicide, fathers raising children as a result of artificial reproductive technologies—and of course grandfathers and even great-grandfathers. Since beginning my practice in 1983, becoming a father in 1987, and becoming a grandfather in 2010, I have seen times change, as they always do, and I …

7 Expert Habits to Make You a Better Dad, According to New Fatherhood Author Kevin Maguire

7 Expert Habits to Make You a Better Dad, According to New Fatherhood Author Kevin Maguire

Published by Jenni Sidey

This is Expert Habits, a regular column in which thinkers, leaders, and other high performers talk about the habits and routines that help them live a better life. One night in San Francisco in 2017, Kevin Maguire sat in front of a glowing screen drafting a work email while his daughter, Padme, hovered nearby, angling for his attention. His eyes met hers, and then a realization struck: “Right now, she thinks I am fantastic, and this is not going to be a window that lasts forever.” At that moment, he thought there had to be more to life than feeling like work and home were constantly at war. The following year, Maguire quit his marketing executive job with Google and moved with his family to Barcelona. Soon after his son, Bodhi, was born, Maguire spiraled—what he later recognized as symptoms of paternal postpartum depression. That experience led to The New Fatherhood, a weekly newsletter reaching over 21,000 readers worldwide, where Maguire writes about manhood and all things new about being a dad. For generations, men …

Why Bob Barker never had children – what the late Price is Right host said about fatherhood

Why Bob Barker never had children – what the late Price is Right host said about fatherhood

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Price is Right star Bob Barker, who hosted the show from 1972 to 2007, has entered the news cycle again after several women have come forward claiming they were sexually harassed on set by members of the crew in the ’90s and ’00s. Former The Price is Right models Kathleen Bradley and Holly Halstrom detailed instances of alleged harassment on the set in the documentary Dirty Rotten Scandals, including being stared at constantly by male crew members and even being inappropriately touched. While the allegations have cast a renewed spotlight on the series’ behind-the-scenes culture, Bob, who was not accused of any inappropriate behavior, was also widely known for a different legacy away from the cameras. © WireImageBob chose not to become a father The late TV personality was a lifelong animal rights activist who famously signed off the show with the phrase “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” This love of animals spilled over into his personal life, with the star’s wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon, being an early …

Pete Davidson reveals how fatherhood has made him ‘overly protective’

Pete Davidson reveals how fatherhood has made him ‘overly protective’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Fatherhood has transformed Pete Davidson from a laidback joker into an overprotective bodyguard, according to the comedian himself. The Saturday Night Live veteran said that since he and his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt welcomed their daughter, Scottie Rose, in December, he has been surprised by what he calls his “primal” instincts. “It’s funny. It’s like I didn’t understand this. You’re just ready to fight anyone. It’s really funny,” Davidson, 32, told People in an interview published Monday. “It’s like, chill out. No one’s doing anything to your kid… But you have this overly protective like…if one paparazzi guy pops out I’m going to f***ing beat the living s*** out of him. So that’s a weird gear because I’m not a fighter guy,” he continued. He …

The best baby monitors – including audio and video options

The best baby monitors – including audio and video options

Published by Sam Flores

Millie Poppins, a baby expert and motherhood mentor, says: “The first choice is whether you want video and audio, or audio only. The second consideration is whether the camera is connected to a smartphone app, or has a separate monitor.” Range will be another factor; either go for a model that uses a direct link between the camera and parent unit, or one that uses the home Wi-Fi, or both. We found the range – the maximum working distance between the camera and parent unit – was seldom as far as advertised. Walls and floors reduce it, so the true range will depend on your home internet strength. Anyone with dodgy Wi-Fi, should opt for a monitor that can function without it. “A good battery lifespan is also a must,” says Millie. “My number-one tip is to fully charge the battery before you use the monitor for the first time, to improve its battery life potential long-term. I also love monitors that are easily moved, as opposed to mounted to the wall. This allows you …