Dad. Daddy. Daddy-O. Papa. Padre. Father. However it’s said, it's the most important name you will ever be called. As it draws nearer to Father's Day, we take a look at what makes us big men excel in the dad department.
We all know that becoming a father changes a man.
We go from being king of our domain to taking on a more supportive role in raising the next in line. Just like Mufasa teaching Simba to take over the animal kingdom one day, we're happy to see our young ones come into their own.
However, new research seems to suggest fatherhood also changes a man’s physique.
We big men seem to take a hit in the old Testosterone-stakes after the arrival of our firstborn. And I know what you might be thinking. Great. I was going to use that Testosterone to build some muscle and keep myself full of energy.
Yet it’s not all doom and gloom.
Another recent study has revealed that the lower a father’s testosterone, the greater the chance he will experience happiness and feelings of fulfilment when caring for the fruit of his loins.
The glory days of our physical abilities will eventually fade but it is the precious memories with our families that we will cherish throughout our lifetime. One cannot sow one’s wild oats indefinitely, after all. Well, you can try but it’s not always a good look. Just ask Charlie Sheen. One is prompted to question whether he is truly happy (and/or sane).
Big Poppa
"To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world"
Once we big men become fathers our raison d'être changes irrecoverably. We big men who happen to also be fathers tend to put our families first and ourselves last day in, day out. A prime reason why we need to focus on our mindfulness amidst all the change and stress that having a family inevitably entails. This will help us to ride out the storms and bask in the glow of family life.
So how do we big men learn to improve our fathering? This is an especially pertinent question for us modern dads. How we parent today has changed dramatically since the days our fathers were on the job.
These days we can read books such as Mike Birbiglia’s “The New One” in order to gain some new parenting skills and knowledge. Or we might even turn to pop culture references such as Gus Fring explaining what it means to be a man to Walter White for some insight. We might even hit the old man up for some valuable pearls of wisdom that he can dispense. Hopefully it’s a little more modern than “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes” or “spare the rod and spoil the child”!
However we go about upskilling ourselves as fathers, we big men are well placed to be great dads. The fact that we’re already larger than life means our little ones have someone significant to look up to, literally. We bigger guys know how to not take life too seriously. We get to indulge in life’s luxuries and this means we get to treat ourselves and our kids to special moments. Indeed, the very fact that you have read this far means you care about your image as a dad.
Dad clothes
Dress like a DILF - Dad in Latest Fashion
Seeing as Father’s Day is just around the corner (Sunday 6 September for all the lovely wives and partners reading this!) isn’t it time we big men request some attire that will continue to make us look large and in charge?
A leather messenger bag will not only help you carry all of our accoutrement, its classical and sophisticated look will reinforce the idea that you are an important man who does important things.
Or what about a military-inspired motorcycle jacket to ensure you come across as the cool dad? Not only will such a jacket have you looking the goods, it’s waterproof too. Which is great news for us dads as we don’t have to worry about it getting stained by baby puke or the other myriad substances we get splattered with on a daily basis.
At the end of the day we big men really just rely on Father’s Day to top up our supply of socks and jocks for the year ahead. We’re not doing the job for any special accolades or presents. We know that the most fulfilling part of fatherhood is not about getting special recognition or receiving praise. No, it’s the giving over of ourselves to better our family.
Happy Big Blokes Father’s Day!
