Houston Alexander: UFC Fighter and Single Dad of Six joins Evolution of Dad Project!

About ten days ago I learned from a Yahoo sports article about a UFC fighter, named Houston Alexander, who is a single dad with six kids. What Houston said in the article about how he is with his kids was incredibly poignant and something that needed to be in the film. The article also shared how Houston, a native Nebraskan, would be in Newark for the latest UFC bout on November 17th. Thus began a crazy process of trying to connect with Houston while he was in my general area - and boy was it worth it. Aside from being built like a tank, Houston is a thoughtful and eloquent man who who welcomed the idea of doing something for dads out there.

I keep talking about how the success/failure of the film will be whether it connects with dads who think this film isn't about them - the dads that look at housework and childcare as emasculating - the dads who, if they could only see the bigger picture of fatherhood, might actually find ways to get more involved. Having Houston "The Assassin" Alexander onboard brings the project one step closer to reaching those dads.

Evo Dad Podcast - By Director Dana Glazer

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of being the guest on a podcast with Stefan Korn from New Zealand-based Internationaldad.com. Stefan certainly knows the bigger issues about dads and it was a real pleasure speaking with him. The sound quality (from my end) is a trifle muffled but I hope you enjoy it!

Gimme Some Truth! - By Director Dana Glazer

There's been a lot of noise in the media about the so-called "Mommy Wars" which now things seem to be sequeing to "Daddy Wars" - and honestly, the whole thing pretty much makes me nauseous. The deeper I get in the research of this film, the clearer it becomes that most of what we are experiencing in the media regarding motherhood and fatherhood is trumped up BS created primarily to cloud what's really going on out there.

It's easy to seemingly pit at-home moms and dads against their go-to-work counterparts but the honest truth is that most parents are doing the best they can for their kids regardless of what 'type' of parent they are. No one is better than anyone else, although articles like the one in Men's Vogue and the accompanying critique in the NYTimes would make you think otherwise. To glorify or shun any of the social choices parents have to make in our backward-thinking cash culture is just adding to the problem.

If a media article, segment, essay, whatever, does not include a discussion of gender equity, real work/family balance, then it's skirting the deeper issues at hand.

Here's what Brian Reid, aka Rebel Dad, had to say about this, which I think sums up a lot of what's going on here, at least in respect to dads:

"I think the next great battle over parenthood will be between fathers who want to be able to take advantage of the great flexible workplace of the 21st century and the old-line bosses who fail to see the light. It will not be between at-home dad and go-to-work dads. I'm not pleased that LeDuff has decided to spend so much time rhapsodizing about having to "decide if the child is more important than the stature, the action, the money" and setting up a ridiculous, non-existent conflict."

Thank you, Brian, for continuing to shed a balanced light on what's going on with our culture. The evolution may be a slow one but it is inevitable.

Meet The Vachons - by Director Dana Glazer

Over the past week I have encountered three different people who claim to have been misquoted by the Time Magazine article on dads. Their reactions ranged from annoyance to outrage. I've been thinking about this ever since and was about to post here about it, when I discovered that Amy and Marc Vachon did me the favor of writing more succinctly about it in their blog than I probably could.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Marc and Amy Vachon this weekend while in the Boston area. They are at the forefront of a new movement of parents who strive for gender equity and have a site that shares their unique perspective. They are also a couple of the kindest, warmest and most energized people you will meet. At a later date I will post a snippet of what I filmed, but in the meantime, read their blog and check out their site. They are true pioneers and The Evolution of Dad is incredibly lucky to have them aboard.