Parent-teacher meetings are for dads, too

Is it that dads are less interested in how their kids are doing in school than moms? Or perhaps that moms are reluctant to give up control, since everything to do with kids’ health and schooling has traditionally been more their department?

Even with dads these days becoming more and more involved, I couldn’t help but notice that men were conspicuously scarce at the first parent-teacher meeting at my eldest son’s school.

If my child were struggling in school, there’s no question that I’d be right there at my wife’s side doing everything I could to help. All too often, fathers don’t jump in until things start to go wrong, when they should really be in the game right from the start. Moms shouldn’t have to sound the alarm by saying:

Without realizing it, we tend to pay less attention to school-related matters.
As if we’re not quite sure where we fit in.

My son is in Grade 2, and he’s doing great so far.
But even though we haven’t had any major problems, I’ve made a point of being just as involved as my wife from the very beginning. As a father, I want to know how my son is doing in school, how his classes are structured, and what his day-to-day environment looks like. I want to be able to put a face to the teacher who sends home memos in the red Duo-Tang.

The way I see it, if I’m there for my son when things are going smoothly, it’ll be easier to support him if he hits a rough patch down the road.

At our house, Mom and Dad take turns going to parent-teacher meetings. Sometimes, we go together.

It’s not a big deal, and it’s never been an issue for us. We use the same system for all of our kids’ appointments.

The main thing is that we trust each other as parents. Neither of us feels pressured to be the family spokesperson, to be a perfect parent, or to remember everything that was said. The key is to communicate so that we’re always on the same page.

So yes, in our family, Dad also attends parent-teacher meetings.
And frankly, I think they’re pretty cool.
Especially when the teacher has me sit in a kid-sized chair and asks whether my derriere has enough room.

When I get home, I have a newfound appreciation for my comfy sofa!

Parent-teacher meetings are a part of my life.
I don’t just go because I want to, but also because I’m lucky enough to have a wife who’s okay with it.

And that’s no small blessing: I think it’s high time gender stopped playing a role in how we split up parental responsibilities in all areas—school and otherwise.