On each of the 30 days leading up to Father’s Day, Life of Dad will feature a different great dad from around the world.

Today we feature Zach Rosenberg, who is father to 3 year old Matthew and also the co-founder of the blog, 8 Bit Dad, The Modern Parent’s Source For Real Fatherly Opinions. Zach and Bryan shoot weekly video episodes and have a highly entertaining website. Please make sure to give them a visit! But first, the interview.

I really became a father when… when I watched my child claw his way out of my wife’s vagina. I just knew that was the beginning of something special.

My kids makes me laugh when… when he uses phrases above his age range; these days, he asks me if I can “do him a solid” when he wants a favor.

Favorite daddy cocktail once the kids crash?  I’m not a regular drinker, so if the kid actually crashes, I’m not picky. Vodka and 7up, Southern Comfort and Coke, beer, really, I don’t drink much unless it’s really been a trying day.

Dream date night with your lady, where would you go?  You know, I’m a simple man. Any date with my wife is a dream date because I’m with her. If money was no object, we’ve got a steak-house-to-the-stars out here called Mastro’s that I’d love to try, but it’s something fierce like $200/person, so I’ll wait until our gold panning side jobs pay off. In the meantime, just being with her is dreamy enough for me.

What is the hardest thing about fatherhood?  The realization that babies come out “tabula rasa”. Everything they learn is either a product of you or a mirror of you. You teach them anger, frustration, picky/bad eating, attitude, cursing and violence. But on the other hand, you teach them love, compassion, sharing, wide vocabulary, good health, good attitude, perseverance and peace. It’s tough work to be a model and a superhero when you’re human…but we do it because it’s the most rewarding job you can have.

What’s in your man cave?  We live in an apartment, so my man cave consists of a pair of Turtle Beach gaming headphones.  On weekends, I’ll play Call of Duty online on my Xbox 360, put on the headphones and I’m completely immersed in that world. Looking toward the future, I had a dartboard a couple of years ago that I’d love to put back up, but I’ll need a garage first.

How many hours of sleep each night?  Between writing and editing, I usually sleep from 3am until whenever the kid wakes us up, which is anywhere between 6am and 9:30am!

What food that your kids eat do you like the most?  Our son is a really good eater. We weren’t shy from the start about giving him everything, and cooking everything. We love to share fried calamari with him at italian restaurants.

How has fatherhood changed in the last 20 years?   Fatherhood hasn’t changed, but society has. Fatherhood has always been about, since the beginning of time, copying your DNA and making sure it survives. In the last 20 years specifically, gender politics have changed, and while men are still in some form of a minority in being the primary caregiver, the numbers are increasing. With that increase in numbers comes an increase in the need for equity in the home – in image, such as in fathers depicted in commercials, and in law, such as family court custody decisions. Really, fatherhood is the same old biological need to copy your genetic information and help it succeed (in other words, getting your kids to a point where they are then prepared to copy their own DNA too). 20+ years ago, women were the ones caregiving while men ensured their DNA’s success by bringing home money. now men are ensuring their DNA’s success with the hands-on caregiving. Sure, you could say that “fatherhood” itself has changed, but that denies the incredible complexity of society, sociology and the evolution of gender politics. We are the change, and it’s far from over.

Dream family vacation?  Aw shucks, I don’t know. We take a yearly fishing trip up to Northern California and that’s just fine with me. It’s nice to be in the mountains, away from cell phones and computers – and whether or not you actually catch a fish, the time spent relaxing and looking at the beautiful world around you is immeasurable in value.

Make sure to check out Zach’s awesome site, 8 Bit Dad, and to follow him on Facebook and Twitter!

 

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