Are you an #EqualParent?

A new parent emerges in an ever evolving society, a parent who isn’t allowing deep rooted traditional roles influence his sense of being, his ideology of parenthood nor his interactions with his child. He is a partner who believes & practises equality. He understands the importance of his spouse’s aspirations, needs. He truly understands & assimilates parenthood where it is a shared responsibility. No more just the Mother’s. This Father’s Day, let us know him more…

-BabyChakra, India’s Largest Parenting Platform

At BabyChakra, we witness 2 million parents monthly sharing their experiences, seeking help, reaching out to fellow parents. We find mothers creating communities & forming bonds for life, the common thread of this bond being a shared journey of parenting. Be it an expecting mom, a new parent or a mom to a toddler! BabyChakra in many ways is the eye which opens up a world of parenting cultures across the nation! Different regions, languages, cultures, practises of parenting being discussed on one platform. While we continue to build our mom communities and we speak about the mother & Child bond, we came across an emerging trend.

A trend truly reflective of Young India – The Equal Parent.

Yes, we found fathers to be more forthcoming in seeking solutions for their wife’s pregnancy, understanding the nutrition & diet requirements of a young baby, cooking meals , searching for developmental activities for their child. One very interesting insight we found was “story telling”! Yes, fathers spoke about books to read, stories to share with their children at bedtime. This is a revelation of what the new age father is doing today. He is ensuring he is equally responsible for the child and its upbringing. He understands that his spouse needs to be away at work & that a playdate or birthday party visit can be made by him. This got us thinking. How many #EqualParents do we have in our country? How did they come to be an equal parent? More importantly, what are the challenges of being an equal parent and how do we as a society create #EqualParenting to be a choice in a non judgemental environment for a father?

In 2019 Father’s Day, BabyChakra deep dived into its community to answer these questions & more. Here is what we found!

Challenges of Equal Parenting

All work & no play makes for a dull dad! :

Traditionally, financial security of the family & meeting its needs has been the prerogative of the father. However, with education & empowering times, the mother too now is an equal partner making her choices. We wanted to know if fathers negotiate their office timings to accommodate their child’s school schedules and events ? Take a leave when the child is unwell? It starts with being supportive of your spouse.

Poopy Diapers? Not me!:

How often do you find dads crinkling up their nose while happily changing wet nappies & poopy diapers? How often do you find a father taking the young toddler son to the men’s washroom in a mall? Why does the mom always help the child answer the nature’s call? So we checked with our BabyChakra fathers, what do they do !

I am not a babysitter, I am a dad:

We decided to go hunting for involved fathers offline! It was a revelation of sorts! Fathers feeding their young children at weddings, parties while the spouse caught up with family & friends. Fathers out on for a weekend lunch, playdate with the child while the spouse was outstation for a work meeting. But what we found when we spoke to them was a bit saddening. These actively involved fathers were being called baby sitters! Yes. Do we not need to stop judging our fathers?

Life has changed, for the better!:

Traditionally fathers have stayed away from active roles primarily because they didn’t want their lifestyles & routines to change. However, what we found was heartwarming. Fathers are wearing their parenthood not just on their sleeve but also allowing themselves to become conscious parents. This is indicative of the upbringing the next generation is receiving & the world that we are creating for future.

The above got us thinking! What would help create a society where fathers can make a choice. The choice of being an #EqualParent? How can fathers inspire fellow dads to aspire to be involved fathers? A quick list:

• Paternity Leave Policy
• Flexible Working Policy
• Standing up for the Role
• Breaking stereotypical barriers through open conversation at work and home
• Digital Parenting Apps
• Parenting Forums and Effective Communication
• Enforcement of Parental Involvement by Schools

The above factors have definitely helped increase statistics of involved fathers in parenting. A consistent support from society, an awareness of the need to do so and a sincere belief in the concept is still lacking big time. However, realization is slowly sweeping in and we are on track to building a generation that will change the perspective of parenting and redefine the benchmark of parenting roles. Let us not forget, Fathers are equal role models for children. An involved father is setting a positive example for his child who will carry this forward across generations!

Insights represented in this report have been derived from an In-App research on community & content engagements.

#equalparent #fatherday #babychakradad