Fathering Is Not Something Perfect Men Do, But Something That Perfects The Man
This pandemic has been a very uncertain and devastating time for all of us. As an event professional, it hit me really hard since the entire event industry came to a standstill. With over 90% of our projects being canceled or indefinitely postponed, the event management agency that I founded just five years back was now in uncharted waters with no hope visible on the horizon.
Isolated & without any assistance during the lockdown, I soon took on the role of a stay-at-home dad - helping with our three kids while my wife worked from home and helped to make ends meet. She’s been super supportive, encouraging me to get more involved with my children and their upbringing - a blessing that helped me get through these difficult times. It presented the opportunity for me to be the best version of a father I could be, and I started to document the journey on Instagram @thedaddycode
I spend quite a bit of time understanding the nuances of parenting, understanding children’s behavior, and sharing these experiences with other dads. Armed with this positive frame of mind and the constant gentle nudges from my wife, I was motivated to complete a Google-certified course in digital marketing and eventually founded a digital marketing agency.
I learned web designing and launched an initiative, givebacktheinternet.com – a free website design & development service for anyone affected by the pandemic and looking to explore new possibilities. I honed my new skills on @UpWork - a freelancing platform where I gained a variety of experiences and eventually landed a new job with a US-based SaaS company, Cosell, as their Marketing Manager.
And of course, I continue to work on my parenting, spending lots of quality time with my children and sharing what I learned as a daddy-blogger in the making. It has been a hell of a roller coaster ride, one that I would not trade for anything. The tremendous support from my wife, family, and the pleasure of just being there for my children gave me the strength to explore & learn new things that I would otherwise have never experienced.
It reinforces my belief that life is full of surprises, and the only thing we can do is take it in stride and keep moving forward. You don’t have to be a hero- just a good son, husband, and father. That’s hard enough.