All Aboard The Big Boy Bed Train
On rainy days, it is always a struggle to think of ways to entertain the boys and most importantly, keep our sanity. I know there are probably a million and one things to do in Toronto indoors, but Sunday morning is not the time to count on the brain for a home run.
So, we did what we normally do, shop. We headed to Dufferin Mall and when I was saying we could go to Toys R Us, Katie said something about there also being Babies R Us if we needed anything there. Then she stopped herself and said, I guess we don’t need that stuff anymore.
It’s true, our house is slowing looking less and less baby-like. The sippy cups are losing their lids, diapers are going the way of the dinosaur and we even leave the house sometimes without the diaper bag.
Hopping On The Magic School Bus With My Kids
Earlier this month I wrote about all the cartoons I want to share with my kids one day. They included a lot of classics like Transformers, He-Man and Scooby Doo. Those cartoons were listed in a Netflix survey of dads around the world.
Another Netflix reboot I have already shared with my kids is one I remember as a kid. The Magic School Bus. It was one of the first cartoons I remember as being “schooly” or educational. It was like the movie Innerspace. The kids shrink and go on a Magic School bus to solve a scientific mystery. They travel into the digestive system and back in time to see the Dinosaurs.
How Dads Are Changing The Way They Parent
Photo is not with article, I just like it. Taken by Scott Munn.
This is an article I was featured in recently in Parents Canada Magazine for Father’s Day.
A few decades ago, most talk of fathers’ roles had a straight-up Don Draper-style emphasis on breadwinning. Toronto dad Michael Cusden remembers his dad “just kind of came home from work, had dinner and read the paper and then we went to bed. That’s what dad was to us.” A much more hands-on father, Michael is a digital marketing professional and creator of a blog called Like A Dad. He says the upside with today’s model is, “I know my kids way better. I know what they like. I know their personalities. I know how their day was.” While Michael admits that balancing it all can be stressful, he says, “My dad says he kind of wished he lived in a generation where he got to do it.”
We thought it was time to ask dads what is life like for them today. What are their new struggles, joys and expectations? Here’s what we learned.
Today, leagues of engaged modern dads like Michael are slowly refashioning what fatherhood looks like. For example, 2011 Statistics Canada figures found that 30 percent of eligible fathers filed for parental leave benefits in 2010 – a nine-fold increase over the previous six years. StatsCan also reported in 2011 that the number of stay-at-home dads had tripled over 30 years; and that the number of families headed by single dads is rising.
The New Normal For What Family Is
No matter the size, location, relationship or meaning, we all have a family. A home family, a work family, a school family and so on. A family does not have to be blood related, it’s more about who is special to us.
The typical family consisting of a mom, dad, kids etc. is becoming less and less normal. I bet most of us know families that have two moms, or three parents, or step-dads or family members from different cultures. The modern family has become a melting pot to the point that when you think of the Cosby’s or the Cleaver’s, they seem to be the odd group.
My personal family still remains very traditional, but new people keep getting added which brings a new dynamic and view of the world. I say as long as they are true to who they are and care about the family, they can stay.
Why am I going on about the not-so-normal family dynamic? Well, because, this month on Netflix, they are featuring a wide range of families that don’t fit under the “normal” umbrella.