De-facto Daddy Cool

Today's father.

- Maharaaj K. Koul

Welcome the alpha dad, the new generation of men, who wear the badge of fatherhood with pride, and flaunt their dad status. They are not afraid to cradle the child at night, sleep at 4 am and then get to work at 9 am.

Here is an active interest on the part of the father to connect with his child on a daily basis. Gayle Kaufman, a sociologist, says in her book Superdads, that though the workplace still sees men as ‘men’ not fathers, there is a visible attitude change taking place. “The new super dad struggles the most because they want to be involved with their children’s lives, but have difficulties finding the right balance between work and family. Superdads try to be full partners. They view their wives’ careers as important as their own. Not only do they manage their work around their children, they also manage work around their spouses’ job.”

In his book The Kiss of Life, Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi writes: “You have to be a superhero father these days – take challenges head on and emerge stronger. My child has given birth to me. Today’s dads go into battlemode for their children. It takes superhero powers to walk this path and come out unscathed.”

According to a new poll by Netmums:

Modern mums want their children to have a father who plays with them, helps with their hobbies, rather than someone who is successful at work and earns a lot of money

The survey also showed that a third of fathers feel they need to be more sensitive as against just 21 per cent of men who were happy with the old malefemale equation

Macho men are now a turnoff for mothers, with just 13 per cent seeing traditional ‘manliness’ as desirable