There is often a lot of importance placed on mothers and motherhood. The amount of work that moms have to do throughout the day, and the “mom guilt” that they feel. This leads society to put pressure on moms to make sure they have a break and hang out with their friends with no children every once in a while. That it is important for their mental health to have some time away from the home and relax. However, where does that leave dads? Dads are often overlooked by society when it comes to their need for space and time away with their friends.
Terms like “dad guilt” are not heard as often, and there is a clear picture that the world has that dads don’t need as much time away from their families as mothers do. There are, in fact, many reasons why a dad needs to spend time with his friends, and all of them are beneficial to the mental health of himand his family.
Peers Are Important
According to This Dad Can, dad’s need to be around their peers to talk about situations that may resonate more with fathers than with mother’s. While spouses can be helpful in venting and talking to about certain situations that may only be understand by under dads. Perhaps dad works a full-time job and has a hard time juggling work and family life, he may need to turn to a dad friend for some guidance.
This is the same situation a stay-at-home mom would find herself in, where she would see out another mom friend who stays at home to vent and talk about tips to get through the day. Dad’s need to connect to those that are in similar situations to them.
Fill In The Void
According to Austin Moms, dads parent in a different way than moms do, and this leads them to have very little time for themselves. It is built into “mommy culture” to schedule some time for herself. To engage in self-care and have a routine time when they go out with their friends. They ask for it, which is something a lot of dads don’t do.
If dad spends a lot of time at work, he can often feel like he is not spending enough time with his family. This means that all the “free time” he has, he spends it with his children. He feels that he needs to spend this time with his children, leaving his male friends behind and getting burnt out.
Connects Them To Their Interests
All parents need to be reminded of who they are as a person beyond parenting. Reminder of hobbies and interests they had before they became parents. According to Mom, when dad’s get together to hang out, they don’t necessarily bond over parenting, even if they met the dad’s through a parenting activity. Moms are known for bonding over being a mom and the joys and struggles that come with it. Dads tend to bond over shared interests and hobbies. That is why it is good to let dad hang out with his male friends, because it can remind him of who he is outside of being a father.
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