Millennial Dads Are Raising Kids Differently, and Here’s What Makes Them Special

As the older millennials are approaching their 40s, many of them have families and are raising kids. It looks like the fathers of Gen Y have their own views on family and parenting. They seem to be generally more involved in spending time with their children, and taking paternity leave to share the child-rearing duties with their partners has become their new norm.

We at Bright Side took a closer look at the portrait of a modern dad, and here’s what we found out.

They are more engaged in raising children than dads of previous generations.

Compared to previous generations, millennial dads are spending more time at home with their kids and they are generally more involved in parenting. They tend to see parenting as an integral part of their life and identity. Modern dads are not only more enthusiastic about bringing up kids, but they also tend to help their partners more with household chores.

Many millennial dads are even taking paternity leave.

While maternity leave is something we’ve all gotten used to, for many people paternity leave is still something new. The dads from Gen Y don’t hesitate to ask their bosses for parental leave to help their partners with kids at home. So, more and more companies are taking steps to provide equal parental opportunities for moms and dads.

Some of them choose to stay with newborns while the babies’ moms are working. A shared parental leave is a compromise that allows both moms and dads to stay at home with kids.

They adjust their careers to spend more time with their kids.

Not all millennial dads are ready to completely give up their careers and switch to raising kids at home. Many of them still remain the breadwinners, but even in this case, they find ways to spend more time with their sons and daughters. They request flexible schedules at work or start their own businesses that can be run from home and that allow them to successfully combine work with parenting.

Other career strategies chosen by millennial dads may include working from home 1 day a week or leaving a couple of hours earlier. Of course, not all companies are ready to provide flexible work schedules for young dads, but the situation is slowly changing, as more and more fathers strive to balance family and work.

They are super safe and responsible.

Both moms and dads of the millennial generation seem to often address the internet when it comes to safety tips. While the typical safety equipment of parents from previous generations would have been safety belts and bike helmets, today’s parents have an avalanche of websites and mobile apps at their disposal. The internet is the source where parents of today learn all the information on child upbringing, including health, daily routines, eating habits, games, and education.

The lives of millennials’ kids are more scheduled than ever before. The pace and rhythm of modern life urge parents to plan not only their working hours but their free time and their whole family life. The necessity to plan everything created a phenomenon called “play date” which is, in fact, a planned gathering for kids to play. While the children of several couples are playing together, their parents can discuss their own issues, make friends, and build businesses.

Do you agree that each generation has its own parenting approach? Do you see the features we’ve just discussed in millennial dads?