RebelDad

A Quick Personal Reflection

Posted on 23. Jan, 2007 by Brian Reid in General

The great thing about meeting at-home dads is that you realized how poorly they fit into a single stereotype. I’ve made this point many times before — usually in reference to the At-Home Dad Convention — but it hit home in a personal way the other day.

I ran across this reference to Ivor Hansen, which noted that he was an at-home dad these days. I went to grad school with Ivor. He had — without a doubt — the most interesting background of any student there. He was a former window-washer and a member of some of the most influential hardcore punk bands. The news that Ivor is now doing the writing-and-diapers thing made me smile … there are a lot of way into fatherhood, clearly, and it’s neat to see that Ivor and I may have ended up in a similar place, despite our distinct resumes. (A similar place, except that has a new book out, “Life on the Ledge: Reflections of a New York City Window Cleaner.” Check it out.

(While we’re doing personal reflections, sometime folks who start in similar places end up in completely different worlds. Ivor’s is the second book out this month by an erstwhile classmate. Sam Sheridan — a guy I was with on the first day of preschool and the last day of high school — just finished A Fighter’s Heart about his experiences as an Ultimate Fighter. Sam, needless to say, ain’t doing the diaper thing yet.)