Millennial dads are spending way more time with their kids compared to previous generations—their reasons are heartwarming

Parents’ duties are not predetermined based on gender. Dads should be as responsible as moms for their child’s health and upbringing. Moms have also been advocating the need for fathers to be present in their children's lives, not just as breadwinners but also as supporters and mentors. Millennial dads have been spending more time and contributing more to the upbringing of their kids, per Pew Research Center. Compared to other generations from 50 years ago, dads are more involved in the lives of their children and when asked what influenced the change, they had heartwarming responses, per Metro. 

Paul Bent, a 39-year-old millennial dad of one, revealed that he decided to put his parenting shoes on and step in more from the time he found out he was going to be a dad. He revealed that he looked back on his childhood and tried to understand how he wanted to carry things forward. Though it was a “big and scary” change in his life, he knew he wanted to show up. He was sure he would make every little moment matter when it came to parenting. The dad regularly has brunches, park walks and learning to stay in touch with his son. Bent also takes care of emotional expression and reassurance. “I am always telling Hunter how much I love him. I provide emotional and physical stability whilst boosting his confidence by using positive encouragement with active listening to promote good communication between us,” he remarked.

Another dad, 30-year-old Tom Finnie, credits his relationship with his dad for what he is today. He noted that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and offer a healthy relationship while improvising on certain aspects. “The one thing that my dad valued was that my siblings and I were friendly, showed courtesy and treated people well. This example is important to me now as I raise my own son,” he explained. However, ever since the passing of his mum recently, Finnie found it hard to communicate his grief and emotions with his dad. He knew that his child shouldn’t have to find it this difficult.

“Other new dads, friends and family have encouraged me to have honest conversations, making me more comfortable talking about my feelings. Now, I feel confident in being able to lead by example in the future when JJ reaches out to me for emotional support,” the dad remarked. 32-year-old Josh Jamieson, a dad of three daughters, noted how his dad was present, but his childhood saw stereotypical parenting roles. He wished to cancel out that in his time as a father. “I want to show my kids that parenting is a completely joint effort,” he said. He added that his example would also help his daughters understand that they don’t have to be restricted because of their gender.

When he decided to take up part-time work to spend more hours with his kids, he initially found no other man with the same thought. “But my wife suggested it and it was like a lightbulb moment for me,” he recalled. “They are all so different and it’s so nice to see them develop and try to figure out what kind of person they want to be,” Jamieson said of his daughters. In a post shared by @clips, it was revealed that in the 1980s, over 40% of dads confessed to never having changed a diaper. Dads have been realizing their need to step up in the parenting game and are working wonderfully to make a change, reducing the rate to 3% at present. @the_youtube_dad said, “I definitely see a difference with my dad and myself as a dad.” @naomiruth85 added, “My husband is a kick-ass father. He does everything with our daughter.”