New Avatar Of Fathers

The new care-giver at home.

- Suman Bajpai

Pawan Sood has left a job because it was impinging on his creative instinct. Soon he opted for home business to fulfil his desire but, apart from that, spending more time with his children was at the back of his mind. His wife has a hectic job and he felt that the children were neglected. Now, he is happy and contented as his business and creativity are both flourishing and he is in a nurturing relationship with his children too.

Anubhav, a workaholic, is the perfect father to his two-year-old daughter. He cooks for her, feeds her, bathes her and even sings to her at bedtime. In fact, he is even unable to eat one meal decently, as his daughter is often seen climbing all over him as Anubhav attempts to get some food into his mouth. Yet he enjoys every minute of it all.

Role reversel

The changing role of a father as a nurturer and carer is a relatively new phenomenon in India. The trend has shifted from the strict disciplinarian dad of yore to the more contemporary approachable father figure, primarily on account of the break-up of the joint family and the emergence of the nuclear family setup. Whether it is changing nappies, feeding, playing or helping them with their education the changing role of the father is constantly being refined. They now want to be involved in every aspect of their child’s life. There is a new childcare mantra doing the rounds among enlightened parents. When mom is away, dad must play. Fathers are increasingly getting their hands wet in the parenting pool – and swimming in it too.