How the pandemic and #BLM could change fatherhood forever

It’s Father’s Day, and I’m looking over at my husband and thinking about how much the pandemic has changed us — not only our day to day, but the fatherhood job description, which is now multiple jobs instead of just the one. When I started to look at how the pandemic was affecting fathers, I wanted to start with him, as I know how it’s upended pretty much everything in our lives.    

My husband, Roger DaSilva’s job has always been slightly more flexible than mine, so in the past he’s been at the whim of my insane hours, my traveling, and my need to be out networking. There have been times where that balance and share of household work has been contentious, but we’ve navigated through it with some wine, some tears (mostly mine), and lots of discussion. The pandemic has brought on a whole new normal where even though I’ve been home ALL the time, I haven’t been completely present as Zoom consumes my life. It’s left the brunt of the parenting responsibility on him, from the virtual schooling to making lunch to taking the kids outside for "recess." 

Parenting during the pandemic hasn’t been easy for us but we’re not alone. Until now, many of the burdens of juggling parenthood and career have fallen mostly on working moms. The pandemic has opened the eyes of many fathers who are now forced into new responsibilities to understand and take on some of the pressures that women have been facing for centuries. In addition, with the protests and unrest all over the country following George Floyd’s death, parents have had to have difficult, yet often long overdue, conversations with their children about race, racism, and the police.