Just in time for Father’s Day this month, we have a #talkwithmommabraga chat about Fathers.  Both The Baby Spot and Momma Braga believe that fathers are being pushed aside in the media and mainstream news. Dads do Matter and we are talking to the Blogger of The Year herself about the importance of “Dad” in society, the media and of course, in her daughter, Nikki’s life.

Why do you think the media portrays fathers not as interested in parenting practices as mothers?

Great question! I think the media is portraying the stereotype that many of us have probably experienced or have seen growing up. I can only speak from my own personal upbringing as in our household, it was our mother who was very active in our care when we were young children while our father worked to financially support us. This was the norm and even to this day my dad has not changed a single diaper. But he isn’t the only one that was like that as many fathers were the same. But I think times have changed drastically from how it once was. Now the media just needs to catch up to the times of today and start portraying fathers as a parent and not as a babysitter (a term that I often hear).

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Tell us about the bond about Nikki and her father…

Nikki loves her daddy and those were her first words…“dada” to be more specific. Now I have to admit that I was a tad jealous but it still tickled my heart pink.

When Nikki was first born he did all the diaper changes and helped me as much as he could when he was home from work. My husband was a very hands on father which was extremely helpful to me as a new mom.

Now Nikki is an active toddler who loves to run around, play with toys, throw around a soccer ball or play with her hockey stick. These are activities that my husband enjoys doing with her but I think their favorite is playing tag and for some odd reason Nikki always wins. 😉 Did I mention that they both love watching WWE wrestling on TV?! Both of their eyes light up when they watch it together. It really is cute!

She just adores her father and when he comes home from work (no matter which shift it is), she runs to him screaming “Daddy you came back” (she is under the assumption that we are not returning when we go to work). They do have a very special bond and I love seeing them together. Recently, my husband has been learning how to play with her toys. Meaning that he talks on their behalf in Nikki’s play world. At first he was taken back with this type of play as he wasn’t use to it, so Nikki taught him how to play with her toys. I have to say that seeing them play pretend is the best thing in the world!

We couldn’t have asked for a better father who wants to be part of every decision we make in raising our daughter together and to be active in her everyday life.

We know that fathers are taking charge and love being completely involved in parenting practices. Why is this such good news?

It is great news as a father is a parent too and should be involved in their child’s life. When both parents are there then the word “partnership” has meaning in the relationship. Taking care of a child is a lot of work and in all honesty it should be both parents working together to raise them. I have seen many fathers really involved in the daily care of their child and we should rejoice and support these fathers with praise. It is so great to see that times are indeed changing for the better.

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In the blogging world, I have noticed that more dads are becoming stay-at-home dads and many of them are utilizing the parental leave so that they can care for their child while their partner goes back to work. My response to this is, Bravo! I think it is wonderful and healthy for families to have active parents in their lives. We shouldn’t judge a father for wanting to be involved in parenting practices and we should support them. There are amazing fathers out there who parent and that is exactly what they are and they are nothing less than that.

Let me say a little story to end this “Talk with Momma Braga.” When my daughter was born, my husband cried as he felt an array of emotions. Becoming a father changed him completely! As he held our little girl in his arms he said to her, “This is what unconditional love feels like and daddy will be there for you always!”

That is exactly how I was feeling as a mother and he felt that same way as a father because we are parents. I carried her for 38 weeks and gave birth to her but we both carry her in our hearts forever.