My Baby Daddy

Today the three of us got together with two other families and their babies from The Birth Center (TBC). We took labor/Hypnobirthing classes last spring at TBC with the two couples when they were pregnant. It was so much fun to see the babies interacting with each other; they have all grown and learned so much. The babies are also at an age where they like to look at and respond to one another. Emmeline and I see the moms and babies a couple times a week but we had not gotten together with all of the dads yet. It was really fun to see the dads with their babies. They are so hands-on and involved. It made me realize how much parenting has changed for dads in the past few decades. It is no longer considered effeminate or odd for men to be involved with their babies. In 2007, actually, daddy-baby interaction is wonderfully supported and encouraged. Stay-at-home dads are becoming increasingly common as women have decided to return to work outside of the home. The three of us moms are currently staying at home as our hubbies go off to work but as I was watching these dads with their babies, it was obvious that they were as loving, involved and intuitive as they could be. I am always glad to see non gender-normative behavior. It reminds us all that gender and the actions associated with those activities are a construction. My husband owned a beloved baby doll when he was a toddler and I am convinced that that toy helped him on his way to becoming the sensitive, intuitive daddy that he is. In many respects he is still all boy, but when it comes to his baby girl, he turns into a cooing, high-pitched, lovey-dovey, sing-songey muffin. And I respect him as a man all the more for it.