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More and more dads want their turn at bringing up the baby. Dave (Little Bear's Pappa) is no exception and he's split parenting down the middle with his wife to look after the tiny troll.
Two Blogs The Raising Little Bear blog follows dad's turn at bringing up the baby, covering attitudes to parenting, sharing parenting, and watching the tots grow The Becoming a Nordic Dad blog follows the family move to Stockholm, as Dave settles Little Bear into his new progressive home and starts the journey of learning what it means to be a parent in Scandinavia Feel free to check out posts aimed specifically at promoting shared parenting, and even take a look at the book! Popular posts |
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about us
Over two and a half years ago, life took a dramatic turn for my wife and me. After 2 days of labour, our first baby, Little Bear, was born. As any parent will know, your first baby turns your life upside-down. You both fondly look back at the time before, when you had freedom, spontaneity, and could be bothered to argue about where someone put the toothpaste lid. And of course, you look nonplussed at anyone complaining of 'tiredness' after they've had more than a luxurious couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. But after the first few weeks, you start to realise it may just have been worth it after all.
Right from the start I wanted to play a big role in the Little Bear's life. Sure, it's tough taking the responsibility for bringing up a little person, but I feel I have a right as a dad to the ups as well as the downs (and I want my wife to make me some more money while I play with the baby).
My wife and I agreed that, in true Swedish spirit, we were in this together from the start (aside from pregnancy and labour which was a relatively one-sided effort I'll admit). We decided to split our baby duties equally, at first with the downs of sharing nights and nappy-changing, then the ups of play-time, feeding and on to Sharing Parental Leave and after.
Right from the start I wanted to play a big role in the Little Bear's life. Sure, it's tough taking the responsibility for bringing up a little person, but I feel I have a right as a dad to the ups as well as the downs (and I want my wife to make me some more money while I play with the baby).
My wife and I agreed that, in true Swedish spirit, we were in this together from the start (aside from pregnancy and labour which was a relatively one-sided effort I'll admit). We decided to split our baby duties equally, at first with the downs of sharing nights and nappy-changing, then the ups of play-time, feeding and on to Sharing Parental Leave and after.
In June 2016, I became the main caregiver to Little Bear at home, whilst my wife, having taken the first 6 months, returned to work. When my parental leave came to an end, I went back to work 3 days a week, spending the other 2 looking after Little Bear, navigating a world previously only mums knew in London.
In October 2018, we all moved to Stockholm and I started my journey to become Nordic Dad.
In October 2018, we all moved to Stockholm and I started my journey to become Nordic Dad.