On each of the 30 days leading up to Father’s Day, Life of Dad will feature a different incredible father from around the world.
Today’s featured dad is Josh Becker a husband, father, and creator of the popular dad blog, Dad Street. Raised in Maryland, Josh and his wife moved to California ten years ago. They now have two fantastic kids Olivia (4) and Jake (2), and very hyper dog named Cody. Now, on to Josh’s interview…
I really became a father when… I became self aware. Of course, I was a father the day my oldest, Olivia, was born. However, for the majority of my life I’ve been living unaware of the life I have. It wasn’t until I started doing my self development work that I was able to really become “aware”. Now, I’m able to parent, not based on the traumas and hurts of my own childhood but from a place of love. I always thought that I wanted to become the father that I wanted my children to have. Today, I believe I am that father and appreciate every single moment whether or not it’s filled with laughter or screaming and crying.
My kids make me laugh when… they make funny faces and make up silly names. It speaks to how creative, carefree, and silly they are. Watching them be free and fun just makes me laugh and feel really happy inside.
Favorite daddy cocktail once the kids crash? I’m not a big cocktail guy. I always wanted to be and when I get to a nice bar or lounge I’m completely lost on what to order. My drink of choice is vino. So if I had to answer with a favorite wine I’d go with Chatenuef Du’ Pape!
Dream date night with your lady, where would you go? We actually had our dream date night last week. I took my wife for an overnight stay at Pebble Beach, CA where we had wonderful food, and a couple’s spa day!
What is the hardest thing about fatherhood? The hardest thing about fatherhood is trying to do it without self awareness. All boys from childhood are meant to play to the “male role”. We’re given very limited options for expressing our feelings and worse, we aren’t taught how to resolve our problems. This leads many men/fathers to isolation in the form of spending time with the guys, drinking, or just shutting down. Because we’re unaware of our own sense of self and self identity many of us only pass down what we’ve learned. Hands down the hardest thing about fatherhood is living it blindly.
What’s in your man cave? We live in Monterey, CA in what I call a “cottage”. My man cave is confined to one shelf in my medicine cabinet that’s shared with my wife and kids. Can I come over your house to play?
How many hours of sleep each night? I’m getting between 6 and 7 hours of sleep a night.
What food that your kids eat do you like the most? Right now their favorite food to eat is ice cream. I can’t recall ever taking them to Baskin Robbins without getting something myself.
How has fatherhood changed in the last 20 years? In general, I think more fathers are playing an active role in parenting. In addition to playing a more active role I think more dads are becoming troubled by the stereotypes set forth that we’re not real parents. I used to be more vocal about changing the stereotype by blogging or tweeting about it. Now I’m not so concerned with what the world thinks the average dad is doing. I’m more concerned with being the best dad and husband to my family.
Dream family vacation? Of course, I can’t wait to go on a family vacation to Hawaii or Europe but the kid in me says, “Let’s go to Disneyworld!”
Make sure you catch up with Josh’s blog at DadStreet.com. Also, be sure to find Josh on Facebook and Twitter.
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