I’ve got high hopes for your generation Chrystina – I’m hoping it plays out a little differently for you guys – I think Generation X, despite the fact we are sometimes seen as the do-nothing-of-significance generation, did see a huge turnaround in male participation in the homefront. I just think that at key points we chickened out a little bit – many of us retreated back to the home because it was bloody hard to juggle kids, work and home usually while living a long way from our own families. There are many reasons why so many women did revert to SAHM or part-time workers and in my opinion a lot of it was to do with lack of support structures, in the workforce and in the moving away from what had been the traditional support of grandparents to help out. I’m hoping that as the men of your generation become even more actively involved in their families we might see some big changes in the way employment is set-up. Re your dad, my husband was in the Navy for the first seven or eight years of our relationship, he left the Navy when Hippie Child was two and it took a lot of adjusting to get used to having him home on a permanent basis after him being away for six to eight months of the year, so I can understand your Dad’s disconnection when he stopped travelling.

To have been without a car would have been awful. I never really got into the baby groups either and it did make it a somewhat lonely experience being at home. You make a valid point about the friendship side of things – our friends are mostly couples I met through the kid’s school – my husband is friends with the husbands but the relationships were initially developed by me.

I meant shame really on peoples thoughts, not daughters enjoyment of the day..lol ;0

Ditto from me, tell him from me I fully understand. Unfortunately peoples thoughts stray and are often wrong. I once took her to a small open farm, local to us, and I am sure if looks fired bullets I would have been riddled with holes. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed her day out…..shame really..

Yes dads of daughters have it a little tough, my husband often commented that it was difficult when he was out alone with the girls when they were little, especially if they needed to go to the toilet etc.

I think it is a complex situation – when you become the main breadwinner you do give up certain things with your baby (just like blokes have had to do for centuries). I reckon it would be good to have both parents working part-time – but then of course two careers get derailed.

A little, but in the UK fathers do not get the recognition they should. I will not say deserve, cos not always the case. My isolated feel is not due to this though. But many places ie; schools seem to find it hard to respond to fathers, eyes forever follow you around, and in some cases thoughts are not always nice. I enjoy my time with my daughter, precious and gold.