Kitchen Set for a Boy and Truck for a Girl

Diversity and inclusion have made some progress in the last few years but there is still a long way to go. One does not have to go far to see these stereotypes. If you don’t agree, visit the nearest toy shop and ask the attendant to show you something for a 3-year-old. The attendant will immediately ask you, “For a boy or a girl?”. Why can’t we let toys be toys, or, imagine a 3-year-old boy is crying, how often do we hear one of the parent remarking, “Boys don’t cry.” (I’m deliberately using three as the age of the child because at three most children know their gender identity and start labeling themselves as ‘a boy’ or ‘a girl’. My 3-year-old son has also started categorizing his friends as boys and girls).

The Journey called DAD!

We were expecting our first child and I was a touch more nervous than my wife. She was not sure on how good a father I would be and to be honest I knew that I had a steep learning curve ahead of me. I hadn’t read any books on what to expect as an expecting couple or on becoming a father. The only tip I had received from almost everyone was that you can’t really prepare – you just dive into the deep end and learn to swim. To be honest I was more excited than nervous.

So, remembering back to when my wife and I discovered we were pregnant almost three years ago, here’s the key pieces of advice I would have loved to give myself about preparing for the journey of becoming a father:

1. Don’t just aim to be the best dad you can be – aim to be the best partner you can be: It’s easy said than done. You tend to fall in to the trap of spending all your time and