Men on the Edge of Panic: Boomer Esiason, Mike Fancesa and Toxic Masculinity

[NickB79]

4. This whole issue really pissed me off when I read of it

It's like that a-hole radio sports host thinks the ideal father is some 1950's stereotype who smokes a cigar with his buddies while his wife is back in the delivery room screaming and crying, and simply smiles and nods when the nurse shows him his new baby through a window in the nursery. Think Mad Men circa 1955.

Fuck. Him. He is a worthless excuse for a father, and thankfully now everyone knows it.

When my wife became pregnant, she needed abdominal surgery at 4 mo. to prevent either her or our baby from dying.

After she gave birth, she fell into a deep post-partum depression that lasted almost a year.

Our daughter had colic AND acid reflux that wasn't diagnosed for the first 4 months after she was born.

I worked 8 hr shifts OVERNIGHT, came home to get 2-3 hours of sleep, and then was up with our baby while my wife worked days. Most days, she'd come home from work and crawl into bed due to her depression, leaving me with no respite from the crying, dirty diapers, bottle duty, housework, etc. In short, it was a living hell, and I literally almost had a nervous breakdown on multiple dates.

That said, I wouldn't give it up for anything. Those early days and months with my daughter bonded us in a way I never thought possible, and I will be forever thankful for the experience. It made me realize just how far a father should go, how much he must be willing to sacrifice, to care for his children.

A REAL man gives everything he has, body and soul, to care for the baby he helped give life to.