It used to be the mom’s responsibility to get the kids to school, soccer practice, music lessons and play dates. With women entering more leadership roles in the corporate environment, the everyday tasks of raising kids also shifted.
It’s not strange to see a dad doing the school run or arrive at a birthday party on a weekday. It’s all about flexibility at work and whichever parent has more, will do more for the kids.
This might be frowned upon by some of the older generations, but if you really look at the advantages you must admit that this is also a blessing for the next generation. The generation who has hands-on and involved dads who can do everything their mom can do.
By no means will this ever erase the special bond a child has with the parent who works more and we can’t pretend that both mom and dad won’t bring something unique to the relationship with their child. But having more of dad than the average child growing up previously is definitely a good thing.
In the end I suppose it’s about finding the balance for your family. Whatever your situation, embrace the positives about it, don’t box your partner into a specific role, and give it your best.
Raising kids are by no means any less meaningful than being a CEO. I love the saying: When you raise kids, you are building a great cathedral. It takes years and you can’t see right now what it will look like in the end, but every step in the process matters.
You might want to read more about why we like to move it.
