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by Anna Ferguson When Mike Kovak walks into the boardroom with his baby in tow, he receives a few strange looks. But it no longer fazes him. “When I bring her along to a meeting with me, I love to see the reaction people give me,” says Kovak, a partner at Fusion Marketing. “There is always a little shock, then a respect factor kicks in. A guy with a baby sends off this enhanced credibility.” Switching gears from businessman to family man was a huge adjustment for Kovak, and recognizing that his day, every day, had to be readjusted is one of the biggest lessons that he has learned since the birth of his 8-month-old daughter, Sydney. “I have to fit into this role of ‘Daddy Day
Care’ every day, and still learn to be
productive with my career,” he says. “It is a
matter of juggling everyday, trying to figure
out who will be doing what every day. And every
day is different, so you have to always rework
it. It is a day-to-day challenge of managing the
baby. But I think I am more of a man for doing
it.”
Survival is the name of the
game for new fathers, and
one of the best ways to
learn the ropes is to get
advice from men who have
already been there. Many
publications have hit
shelves and newsstands in
recent years full of vital
need-to-know information,
from veteran dads.
In the “New Dad’s
Survival Guide,” author
Scott Mactavish is a regular
guy giving other regular
guys advice on how to be a
regular dad. Decorated in
camo-gear and following a
military theme, the guide
uses no-nonsense language to
help dissect the confusing
world of fatherhood,
including how to handle
bodily functions to
surviving sleep deprivation
and understanding the
healthcare system. Killian
Kavanagh and Ian Banks
present new dads with
light-hearted advice on how
to handle pregnancy and
develop relationships with
their new babies early on in
“The Ultimate Dad’s Survival
Guide.” This guide is
colorful and short, only 60
pages, but offers
first-timers and experienced
fathers vital advice on an
array of important issues,
from how to handle teething
to how to put car seats
together. There is even a
Happy Mom Survey to help men
determine how helpful they
really are.
No man is born knowing
how to formulate the perfect
warm bottle, but there are
certainly ways of learning.
In “The Everything Father’s
First Year Book: A Survival
Guide to the First 12 Months
of Being Dad,” as part of
The Everything book series,
newbie dads get a complete
guide to having a baby. With
suggestions on baby names,
safety tips and health and
wellness advice from
professionals, this book is
packed with information that
will even impress the
mother-in-law.
Fellow parenting magazine
“Real Dad” is designed to
help dads unravel the
serious, humorous and
unmentionable issues of
fatherhood. The magazine
covers a wide range of
family topics, from
discipline to home projects
and family activities, to
help make a good man a great
dad. Check out the
publication at
www.realdadmagazine.com. For Kovak, trading in the briefcase for a
diaper bag was not the experience he expected,
but the rewards are far greater than he ever
thought they would be. “I have had to learn to put down the email and the cell phone and focus on the baby,” he says. “It is tough to do, to stop work and be selfish with your time. But you have to. Ultimately, I have seen that time with the baby is the most productive of all. In the long run, time I spend with my baby now has long-term, positive effects.” Kovak is not alone in his role of Mr. Mom. Playing the part of a stay-at-home dad during the day and working as a Home Depot employee by night, Chris Hintze has taken to toting the diaper bag in his family. However, his diaper bag is not decked out in floral patterns and pastels, but rather is a more masculine-looking book bag.
“I would definitely recommend that other couples try to work it out so that the dad can stay home,” he says. “Traditionally, dads are the ones that miss the milestones. For me, it’s neat that I get to be there for those little things.” Mornings and afternoons at the house spent playing games and working on skill building can become slightly dull, both to dad and baby. As a remedy, Hintze takes his baby, Izabelle, whom he and his wife call Belle, to Gymboree classes once a week. “These classes are great for developing your baby’s physical, social and cognitive skills,” he says. “It really helps to just get out of the house, too.” This type of class was once thought of as a woman’s domain, but it has slowly begun seeing more and more men in attendance. “For a while, I thought I was going to be the only guy,” Hintze says. “But there have been a few more coming that I have seen.” Not only are more guys dropping by baby classes and bringing their tikes to corporate meetings, but their influence is also infiltrating the ever-booming baby industry. This Mr. Mom trend is becoming obvious as more books, classes and products are marketed to men.
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