This is a talk by Bruce Feiler, linked from the rather excellent TED talks<\/a> which I listen to every now and then. Dads and their connection with feminism is something of a hot topic for me<\/a>, and this particularly resonated, because it concerns a man, diagnosed with cancer, planning to assemble a Council of Dads to give support and wisdom to his daughters should he die.<\/p>\n
I was taken by his concept of dadhood, and his understanding and appreciation for the importance of it. He takes a tandem approach, both looking to replace the aspects of himself as a person and looking for people whose responses to “what advice would you give my daughters” he liked. The end results are surprisingly non-gender stereotyped – get over obstacles, jump in mud puddles, find a friend.<\/p>\n
He also talks a lot about the importance of community in creating a whole person, and a little about the idea of a “modern man” as actively seeking a role in their child’s upbringing, which is very encouraging.<\/p>\n