This isn’t 1960 – too bad

I received this e-mail from the White House yesterday:

It’s not 1960: Being a dad looks different now

It’s 2014, and our families — and workforce — look different than they have before.

That means being a dad looks different than it ever has before.

Just like moms, many dads don’t have access to paid leave or flexible workplaces, making it harder to balance work and family.

I guess you can’t argue with that statement. It’s not 1960 and being a dad and a lot more looks quite different. But the real question is, are things different for the better? If they could, how many Americans would rather have the good old days – if they even know what that means.

This leads me to one of the great discoveries of all time; there is a reason we all die.

It has nothing to do with genetics, biology, or physiology. It all boils down to one thing. If we didn’t die naturally, eventually our tolerance for what the succeeding generations have done to the world would cause us to blow our brains out anyway.

With regard to the topic at hand, no paid leave? There was no paid leave in 1960 either, but then again there was no need for leave. Back in the days before women were convinced their role as a mother and in the home was unfulfilling, the traditional family unit was sufficient for child rearing. Today, that role is financially impossible for most Americans and considered well, unfulfilling by others. Today babies are not even the product of a family and in some segments of society that’s not only okay, but encouraged, it’s not 1960, things look different … and we are all paying the price.

How did we get from 1960 to where families can’t function without a plethora of government laws and regulations and other forms of assistance? It sure is different. Twenty-first century families are surely not 1960 families.