We Are All Connected

One of the things I enjoy the most about the evolution of The Evolution of Dad are the myriad of awesome people I continually come across on a daily basis due to this site. Here's a sampler from last week.

The other night I had the great pleasure of speaking to a New Jersey couple who have a three-year-old son and an older daughter. From the outside they seem traditional enough. She is an at-home mom who does some publicity/promotional work for local organizations on the side while her husband travels into NYC everyday as a director of some big university hedge fund. What makes them unique is the dedication both have towards family. The husband shared with me last night about how, during his initial job interview, he demanded that he leave his office most days at 5pm so to make sure to get some time with his kids. From what I gather, this is a big deal in his field, especially considering his predecessor typically worked 70+ hour weeks. He was adamant in the interview about his commitment to his family and being more than just a 'weekend dad.' The other side of the equation and something I've been writing a lot about lately, is his wife, who really promotes the idea of getting her husband as involved with the family as he can be. I was so jazzed to be speaking with this couple because of how much they 'get it.'

A few days ago I had lunch with a NYC-based dad. He is the youngest in a very large family and is also a dad to three kids of his own. We were talking over pizza about his relationship with his own father, who left his family due to a divorce when he was in his teens. There was a distance between them for a long time, but in the last few years this dad decided to invite his father to share some therapy sessions with him and the results are that they have a much closer bond than ever before. I give them both a lot of credit for their willingness to reach out to each other in this way. It's just not something that happens too often. Too many people walk around with a great deal of pain and regret but don't have either the fortitude or the opportunity to heal old wounds.

The other evening I opened an email from a fellow Bowdoin alum who I haven't seen since graduating. Karen is a very energetic woman who I used to give rides back and forth from campus to Boston during fall and spring breaks. She happened upon my website and wrote in to share her enthusiasm for the project as well as how her brother-in-law is a Stay-At-Home dad. Karen is an author and the president of a company that helps people have more success at work. It's always great to hear from old friends.

There is something truly wonderful about the internet. I wouldn't have connected with any of the above people if not for it. Ten years ago, if I were making this same film, I'd have been in the dark working on it, as opposed to the constant stream of people finding me from this site. So, thanks for reading and if you haven't done so already, shoot me a note. It would great to hear from you as well. Let's keep technology working for us!