yet public policy and social institutions often prevent them from being the dads they want to be
This is what I struggle with. Anytime I do something in public with my daughter, without my wife, I get awkward looks. It doesn't bring me down or stop me from spending time with my daughter but like...wtf? What would you have me do? Deny my daughter a trip to the park because Mom isn't available to go?
It's getting better each year, as more dads are more involved in their families. Had a conversation at work not too long ago where a gen X guy thought it was weird that a millennial dad wouldn't go to the bar after work because he wanted to spend time with his kid. The gen X guy looked around at the rest of us as if millennial dad was crazy, but he finally realized that he was the odd one out.
This is when you wear that WORLD'S BEST DAD T-shirt you got for Father's Day. If you don't have one, go to your daughter right now with a blank tee and some fabric paint, and don't forget to help her hotglue some sequins and jewels!
Hell yeah, maximum parenting 💪 barely saw my dad when I was a kid, always away on business. I work 100% remote since my first kid was born, get to spend all day every day with my kids now, never going back.
I wonder if part of it is because more parents are parents because they chose to be. There are a lot of stories from older people where they became adults because they became parents, creating a lot of resentment.
Is this true? Purely anecdotal, but none of the people I know in my age range had children on purpose. Most of them were an "Oops, guess we should get married then..." and THANKFULLY most of those are good parents and their marriages seem to be working out.
Not that this is a bad thing when it works out anyway.
Anecdotally, my friend groups and family were the opposite. I even know some friends has abortions because they weren't in the right place to have a child.
But if you look at the statistics, parents are having their first child later in life. There are also a lot more childless adults.