A Different Type Of Dad
One day I was scrolling through IG stories aimlessly, like many, and I came across a string of 15 second clips from a friend. The clips shared a story of her father and the impact that he left on her life. She shared the softer side of her father, who is no longer here with her. She shared her memories and thoughts on what kind of father he was. Immediately after watching the clips, I sent a message to her that said, “A different type of dad”. With a quick response she assured me that indeed he was a different type of dad.
Since that day, I often find myself reverting back to the phrase “different type of dad”. What does it mean to be a different type of dad? Is that what it takes in today’s society to truly be a great parent? To step outside of some of the fatherhood norms to be considered different. I have had so many questions surrounding this phrase that I decided to throw my words and thoughts onto the computer screen for everyone to see.
If there is one thing that I’ve learned in the last couple of years, and hopefully you as well, is that we indeed must be a different type of parent to navigate through these times. For anyone reading this, our lives were drastically impacted over the last couple of years. How many fathers were prepared and ready to handle what was in store for us? Personally, I was not. In fact, I took light of the situation at first not believing that our world would change like this. Like many of you, I adjusted quickly, because that’s what we do, right? So before I knew that I actually said the phrase “different type of dad”, I was actually living it.
There is more to being a different type of dad than the adjustments made over the last couple of years. What I have seen and learned in my 5 years of gowing my brand, Happy With Daddy, is that now more than ever, fathers are more engaged in the lives of their children. That more than ever, men are talking about mental health and sharing the emotional side of fatherhood that can sometimes be looked at as “different”. To those different dads out there, I want to say, keep being different. Keep finding ways to challenge yourself throughout this fatherhood journey and more importantly, keep finding ways to love your children. Ways that work for you and them, without the input of others. Continue to create your own narrative of fatherhood and work on the legacy that you will leave behind.
