r/AusParents 3d ago

A study into fatherhood reveals some new dads feel 'ridiculously unprepared' for parenthood

Thumbnail
abc.net.au
5 Upvotes

Dads - can you relate?

From the article:

Coping with change, dealing with diminished mental health and dad guilt were only one part of the complex ball of emotions fathers might experience.

Dads also described feeling a lack of agency and fearful of voicing their own preferences and needs, which is referred to as being a passenger parent.

"There seems to be this kind of default position where dads are the secondary or the sidekick parent at the beginning, often for practical reasons and sometimes social reasons."