Parenting

If we’re going to promote more healthy gender-balanced parenting in the UK we can’t have dads falling at the first hurdle.

“I have literally not met anyone who is happy, anyone who has light in their eyes, anyone who has slept,” the singer told Alex Cooper on the latest “Call Her Daddy” podcast episode.

The fundamental problem is even finding a suitable relationship in which to raise a child.

You hear it all the time, and it’s said with good intentions — but it can create a cloud of self-doubt.

As a millennial mom of five kids from toddler to teens, I’d describe myself as a mostly gentle parent.

My daughter is beautiful. At least, I’ve always thought so and, like many mothers of babies and toddlers, I enjoyed the recognition of her gorgeousness from others. “Isn’t she cute?” “Her eyes are so pretty!” “Wow, what lovely thick hair!”

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Taylor Posada, a 28-year-old entrepreneur from Baltimore. It's been edited for length and clarity. I started my first print-on-demand Etsy shop in 2022 to supplement the $50,000 salary from my corporate job in franchise business development.

The British science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke famously said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Go back in time 500 years and show them your smartphone, and you'd probably be burned at the stake for being a witch.

In the tech industry, 35 is apparently considered ancient. A recent University of Gothenburg study conducted in-depth interviews with tech industry insiders and found that workers over age 35 are widely expected “to have more difficulty processing information and picking up new things.” 

My 37-year-old daughter is getting married for a second time. It’s a church wedding and traditions are in play. Her mother divorced me 36 years ago. I was an active and present dad, and we have a good relationship. I never missed a weekend.