I remember the time when I was a kid and my father never picked up my younger sister in parties or in social dos but as soon as we entered home, he used to take her from mom telling that she must be tired holding her for long. And mummy often used to complain why now when she has been carrying her all long in the party. It is not that fathers were not caring, it’s just they were not involved as they are today. There is a huge change in attitude. Fathers are keenly involved, concerned and ready to pitch in. It could be a combination of greater awareness of the emotional needs of children, nuclear families with a dwindling support network, a growing involved parenting culture or just the emerging New Age Man. From mastering breathing exercises at antenatal workshops, cutting the umbilical cord, changing nappies at night, to attending every parent teacher meeting, Fathers are everywhere.

It is not that all men fall in that category. Many believe that they are too busy, some are too tradi-tional thinking that it is a mother’s job to bring up children; some actually get pushed out to stick to the provider’s role by the society and others just prefer to take the easy way out excusing themselves telling they need a break after a hard day’s work. Oh the way we are talking seems like there can be classifications of the Fathers too. So which one you fall into or others make you fall to:

FUN FATHERS
Fun Fathers are funny, exciting, and thrilling. They are ready to buy a child anything he demands, allow him to watch any amount of TV, miss school and eat burgers and pizzas for dinner. They are like kids themselves and it is very difficult to find fault in them as they are so guileless, easy-going and charming.

FATHERS AS MOTHERS
The unique feature about these Fathers is that they are less like Fathers and more like Mummies. This can be brilliant if the couples have evolved beyond the gender stereotyping and are more flexible with their roles. But a lot of times they are not able to do that and then we have a resentful Mummy who feels pushed out or a Father who wants to be Mummy but is not comfortable if Mummy plays Father. Father is always trying to prove that he is a better Mummy than Mummy. And sometimes it makes a bad impression on the children as they get tired of this tug of war.

BALANCED FATHERS
Parents are like two lenses of a binocular. Each lens on its own cannot provide the child the richness and depth of the experience. When the child has an experience of a Father who is involved without being polarized or completely overlapping with Mummy’s role, he/she grows up being more balanced. Children, whose fathers share more than 40% of their care, demonstrate more cognitive competence and self-control.

Whatever kind of father you are just be good to the child and the mother and the family will love you for it.