Millennial fathers spend, on average, triple the amount of time with their children compared to dads in the 1960s. It’s no straightforward golden age – parenting today is for many a complex juggle – but the shift in roles has been profound, with children and society poised to benefit. In this series, we meet two men who are dadding differently, and the fatherhood scientist who’s tracking the rise of more involved dads.
Fatherhood in focus #3: Andrew Cattanach, father to one-year-old Isla and Catriona, five
Change the little one’s nappy, prepare lunch, wash the older one’s dress, email the nursery, clean the kitchen, confirm tomorrow’s play date. And that’s just the late morning to-do list. Ahead lies the school pick-up, colouring, play time, snacks, more play time, dinner prep, dinner clearing, welcoming mum home, bath, teeth, bed, story and – fingers crossed – sleep.
For someone who never planned to be a stay-at-home dad, Glasgow-based freelance writer Andrew Cattanach is certainly embracing the reality of his weekdays being occupied with caring for two daughters: one-year-old Isla and Catriona, five. “It wasn’t something we really agreed beforehand. It just sort of happened,” says the 43-year-old. “My partner was really busy, and a lot of my work had dried up, so it just made sense for me to be primary carer.”
Not that he regrets it. Sure, like all full-time parents, he is not above a little moaning (“it’s the dour Aberdonian in me,” he jokes): the getting up in the night, the lack of adult company, the sense of mild suffocation that an excess of soft play and SpongeBob can sometimes create.
