by Ryan Thomason

Created on: May 21, 2008   Last Updated: October 08, 2008

Actually, lets call this the responsibilities of the modern day father.

Being the father of a 8 month old, I know that I am still new to this whole fathering' thing, but, I would like to get a voice thrown out there for all those young, new dads out there. Now that the traditional' family in this new American era is going the way of extinction, no longer is it that Mom stays at home while Dad goes to work his 9 to 5 job. Increasingly, it is nearly impossible to survive on a single income, so, you see the emergence of Moms joining the workforce. What this does, is that it changes the whole concept of what it takes to be a Dad for a whole new generation.

Now that Mom has joined the workforce, it is up to the father to step up and take on a more supportive role in the raising of their children. Creating a flexible work schedule so that you can pick up your kids from school, games, or staying at home with them when they are sick is now a necessity for any responsible Dad. With expanding use of Internet collaboration tools, it's easier than even for Dads to work from home and help with taking care of the kids. Dads now have the opportunity to spend more time playing, teaching, and developing loving relationships with their children more than ever, and that needs to be taken advantage of.

Look, I don't care how tired you are, or exhausted from work, its no excuse for being too self indulgent. Having children, whether it was planned or not, are your responsibility, and it is your responsibility to step up to the plate no matter what. Too many times have I heard stories from friends who had recently had children and the fathers are not pulling their share. No matter how bad your day may be, as a father, nothing relieves stress like making your kid laugh, or watching them learn and do something for the first time. It is your duty as a father to help with the development of your children, if you want to read that Sports Illustrated, or Wired magazine, sit your kid in your lap and read to them. The colorful pictures should be enough alone to keep them occupied as you easily help them build vocal skills. Play with your kids, its been said that Moms are usually the ones who treat their children as fragile things, it is up to the Dad to help them test their limits. Now, this doesn't mean tossing them around like rag dolls, that's hardly a good thing to do, but play by all means, help them practice standing, lay down next to them and show them how to crawl. You may look like

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