Welcome to Portraits of Fatherhood: We’re telling the story of today’s dads.
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There is no better place to witness the changing roles of men and women in the larger culture than through the lens of parenthood. But rather than speculate on what and how contemporary fathers do what they do, we’d like to bring you portraits of the dads themselves. In their own words. Would you like to be interviewed for this feature? See the end of the post for details.
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NAME Giovanni Sardo
AGE 34
HOMETOWN / WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW? Montreal, Qc, Canada
@TWITTER @AwesomeDadsBlog
ON THE WEB Awesomedadsblog.blogspot.ca
NUMBER OF CHILDREN One; Antonio, age 6
WORK Full-time
RELATIONSHIP STATUS Divorced and engaged to my Queen, Awesome Sabrina
HOW DO YOU COMBINE WORK AND FAMILY? How have you, or you and your partner (if you’re partnered), arranged your life/schedule to provide the daily care for your kid(s)?
I have shared custody of my son. When I don’t have my son, I work all the hours that are needed to get the job done. When I have my son, however, I have a clear rule that I never break:
– My shift ends at 4pm. At 4:01pm, my tires leave the parking lot.
During our busy periods at work, if needed, I still leave right at 4pm but I will bring my work laptop home with me and once Antonio is asleep, I will log in. No work is allowed during my time with my son!
WHAT IS YOUR WORST PARENTING MOMENT?
The divorce was, for lack of a better term, a challenge. Although I did my best to make life seem normal for him, I know that he felt the tension between his mother and I. It wasn’t fair to him. I wish I could have found a way to do better.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST PARENTING MOMENT?
Now this is a question that I love! Ok, there is a tie for first place.
Being his Soccer coach:
That father-son bond on the field has been absolutely fantastic. Helping him learn about Soccer, teamwork and having fun is something I have always wanted to do. He loves to play and I love coaching him. I’ve coached him for the last two summers and, as soon as we played our last game, he immediately asked me if I would coach him next year because he loves having daddy as his coach (note: I treat him just like any other player. On the field, he is only allowed to call me ‘Coach’. I don’t respond to ‘dad’ or ‘daddy’).
Teaching him about manners, working hard, helping others and money:
– Manners – Please and thank you are always a must. Also, he knows to open the door or hold the door open for others. Many more apply as well of course!
– Working hard – My message to my son is simple: It’s ok if you are not the best but you have to be the hardest working person in your environment. Whether it is in class, at home or on the Soccer field, you must always give your 100% effort!
– Helping others – He is a very lucky young man to have two parents that love him, two homes, food and more. I am teaching him to stay humble and always come to the aid of others. Part of the money he earns at home goes towards charity to help those who have less than him.
– Money – Antonio earns money for the chores he does at home. All the money goes into a piggy bank and when it is full, part goes to the bank, part goes towards buying his own toys and part goes towards buying a toy to donate to charity.
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We’re looking for a few good dads.
IF you’d like to be interviewed for this feature, please write to Lisa Duggan at: [email protected]
Please write “Portraits of Fatherhood” in the subject line.
