Dads become more hands-on about parenting duties

With a full-time job, a wife and three boys under the age of six, Mark Hamilton managed to fit in a course one night a week.

He didn’t get a credit toward a degree or diploma, or a raise in salary and the homework consumed most of his waking hours.

“I just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing in terms of being a father,” Hamilton, 36, said of the eight-week, dads-only parenting course offered by an Ontario Early Years Centre.

He wanted to ensure his kids were getting the most from him.

For many years dads have been more involved with their children than fathers from generations past.

Today’s dads take part from the beginning; from prenatal classes and bath-time rituals to picking kids up from day care and helping at school.

Dads are no longer relegated to waiting rooms. In fact many boast about cutting the umbilical cord, pointing to their offspring’s exposed belly button and claiming “that’s some of my finest work.”

The community is responding to this change, with many community centres offering dads-only courses or groups.

“We wanted to see dads connect with each other and then connect with their kids,” said Brian Russell, who runs an Early Years fathers’ group and a drop-in for dads in west end Toronto.

Once a month he organizes an activity, such as hikes or barbecues, for dads and kids.

“You get eight to 10 dads in a room and get them comfortable with each other and talking about stuff … good things happen,” said Russell.

Read full article (Ottawa Sun)