Fatherhood and Diapers: Yes, I change diapers so what?

So, if you’re not Armenian, when reading the title of this blog you might think to yourself “hmm...don’t all dads change diapers?” Now if you ARE Armenian, reading this blog you might think “ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” Yes, I change my kids poopy diapers all the time. In my culture, it is not the norm for a father to change his child's diapers, clothes, feed them, play with them or read to them. As Armenian men growing up, it is never ever asked of us to clean up after ourselves, wash dishes, do laundry or anything of the sort; we were always taught that men had a specific role in the house as did the women respectfully. I am 31 and growing up in the 90’s not once did I see my father wash his own clothes; it just did not happen nor was it expected of him to do so. However, I was raised a little different. My mom never believed in coddling her children. I was always taught if I need something, I have two hands and I am fully capable of getting it myself. So, I was always taught to clean up after myself after I eat, clean my room and do all my chores.

I feel like the way I was raised has a lot to do with how active I am in my kids lives. Make no mistake, I absolutely do not enjoy changing my child's poopy diaper, I also suck it up and do it anyway because it has to be done. Im pretty sure my wife doesn't enjoy cleaning shitty diapers all day long either, but we do it anyway. The macho stigma in the Armenian culture can be pretentious and very toxic. I don’t understand how taking care of your kid can be seen as less manly, it’s called parenting. If you are not involved in your child's life 100% then maybe you should not have brought that child into this world. When my kids are grown up, I dont want them looking back and saying that my dad was a distant dad. No, I refuse to be that kind of father; my goal was and always has been to be involved in my child's life in every way shape or form. Whether its changing my kids diapers or attending every parent-teacher conference. Conforming into some macho bullshit is not something I am the least bit interested in - I do have to say though, the millennial generation is very different then the generation before us, we choose to see things in a much more modern light while upholding the old school traditions. It makes me so happy to see dads on instagram so involved in their kids lives. I see dads playing with their toddlers, or feeding their new borns, or hearing of dads waking up to take care of the baby in the middle of the night instead of their wives. It is so important as a father to be as involved as possible in your kids lives. Your kids are not going to look back and remember the toys you bought them, they’re going to look back and remember all the memories you had created with them and the time you spent with them. We as parents are the first people our kids will look up to, and I think it is our duty to be the best person we possibly can for them. I certainly am not the perfect father nor do i pretend to be, but I sure as hell try.