When my son was born in April 2017, I promised to become a full-time father until he turned five. I was so serious about this commitment that I sold our largest rental property to free up time. This property was supposed to be our crown jewel for my wife and my retirement plans. However, something had to give.
When my daughter was born in December 2019, I made the same promise to remain a full-time father until she turned five. Hooray for equality! That time is soon coming as she finally begins full-time school in September 2024. As I anticipate the transition from full-time to part-time fatherhood, I wanted to reflect on what it has been like being a full-time father for over seven years.
But first, some clarification on the difference between being a full-time versus part-time father.
The Definitions of Full-Time versus Part-Time Fatherhood
First of all, fathers will always be fathers, no matter what. However, just like with work, some fathers work part-time, and others work full-time. There is a spectrum of how we allocate our time to various responsibilities.
My definition of full-time fatherhood is when a father spends more time taking care of his children than he does on his job or other activities, even by just one hour. For example, if a father spends 40 hours a week taking care of his three-year-old and 20 hours a week driving for Uber after his son goes to sleep, he is a full-time father. This father spends 60 hours a week between fatherhood and side hustling.
Conversely, a part-time father is a dad who spends more time on his job or other activities than on taking care of his kids. He might work 40 hours a week at an office job and then spend 2 hours with his
