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Continuing the conversation about nurturing and attentive fathers, today we’re going to celebrate those special men in our lives. Happy Father’s Day to my own baby-daddy and to all the wonderful, attentive, supportive, and all-around great fathers out there!

I’ll let some other women gush about their special men. Enjoy.

I can’t say I purposely chose a good father for my children. I was 22 when I married, 23 when my first daughter was born. My girls are now 4 and 9 months old and I can confidently say that they have lucked out in the father department. My husband Sasha is hands on. Every morning he wakes up with both of them to let me sleep in until the last possible minute. From the comfort of my warm bed I hear them playing, eating breakfast, I hear him doing his best to make my fashion specific preschooler happy with the outfit choices he picks out, I hear him soothe my pre-walker when she falls. These sounds are like music to me. My girls have their own special relationship with their dad and that brings me joy. When he reads my oldest daughter her bedtime stories and falls asleep beside her in her pink plastic monstrosity of a bed, I often just let them be and snap a photo for my memory bank. It’ll be years before they realize how blessed they are to have a dad that loves them enough to be there for them and smother them with attention but I know one day they will. Happy Father’s Day, Sasha!

~Bunmi Zalob, The Women of Chestnut Street

My husband is one of the best dads in the world. He is in charge of the sleep routine of our two active boys and reads, prays, and teaches them something new every night. He likes to be sure our two angels go to bed knowing how loved they are. I love to see them playing together – it’s like I have 3 kids instead of 2! I’m so proud of him; every day I think about how blessed I am to have such a loving, supporting husband and amazingly involved daddy.

~Silvia, Mama Latina Tips

As far as fathers go, I didn’t grow up with a great one. My father believed that by providing food and shelter he was fulfilling his obligations. Culturally, we were told that the love and emotional support and affection came from the mother, not the father. The father wasn’t the one that ran to you when you were hurt or needed help with homework, or cared for you when you were sick or crying.

Imagine my surprise every single day, as I watch my husband Travis in his role as father. He is a provider, as my father was, but he is also incredibly nurturing and affectionate. From day one, he has been completely hands on and involved. He is gentle, caring, patient, and loving. When I find that I can’t do any more because I am tired or frustrated, or both, he takes over. We talk a lot about the love of a mother for her child, but I have to say, the love my husband has for his children, all three of them, is something I am often both enviable and proud of.

If there has ever been a true example of what a man is, it is my husband with his children. He is our shelter, our rock, our comforter, our joy. We look up to him for so much and he never falters.

My children are truly lucky to have him as a Dad.

~Carol Cain, The Adventures of a NY City Mama

Let’s hear some more great stories! Share with us all about the wonderful father of your children.

Photo by Beth Sobel from Flickr

Today has been a very balanced day for me. I was able to work out this morning, did some client work, responded to a few emails, worked on this blog, and even put a load of laundry to wash. For me, that’s a great balance of taking care of myself, working, managing social media, and house work. It’s not much either – you notice I didn’t say I cleaned the entire house. Nor did I answer all emails. But, it was a good bit of each and I feel good with what I’ve accomplished today.

Of course, this is not an everyday occurrence. But, as I get more and more used to working from home, I find that I’m finding little things I can do to feel more balanced. Even if that means redefining what “balanced” means.

But, don’t take my word for it. Check out what others have to say about work-life balance and read their recommendations.

5 Resources with Tips for Finding or Improving your Work-Life Balance

5 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance from WebMD
Something that stuck out when reading this article was when the author said, “You would probably think twice before skipping out on work, a parent-teacher conference, or a doctor’s appointment. Your private time deserves the same respect.”

In other words, do not rearrange your free time and “squeeze in” something else. Treat it just like any other appointment in your calendar.

Work-life balance: Ways to restore harmony and reduce stress from Mayo Clinic
I loved when I got to the end of this piece and read, “Balance doesn’t mean doing everything.”

A lot of times we think that achieving work-life balance means being able to do it all. In fact, it should be about doing what’s important to you, and all that you’re comfortable doing.

Photo by yesterday_once_more0 704 from Flickr

Basic Steps Toward Work-Life Balance from Forbes
The author in this article talked to a staffing company, whose president, Loretta Penn, said: “You don’t have to respond to every e-mail or voice mail as soon as it comes in. Just because someone else deems something a priority doesn’t mean it’s yours.”

It’s a good reminder, especially for us digital moms that are constantly plugged in; just because an email alert popped up on your phone, it doesn’t mean the email has to be answered within 30 seconds. It can wait.

How to Find the Right Work-Life Balance: 6 Steps from Caroline Middlebrook
This was a blog post written in early 2008 by Caroline Middlebrook, who quit her day job in order to start an online business and now makes money blogging. In it she said, “If I’ve not spent enough time with family or not called a friend for a while I’ll get that nagging feeling in the back of my mind…When your life is all in balance you’ll feel good and when something isn’t right you’ll feel bad in some way.”

I know that from time to time I’ll get such a feeling and find myself reassessing the situation and even asking my husband for input. Many times, he confirms that I’ve been off in one area and concentrating too much on another. As the author suggests, trust your instincts.

Top 10 Ways to Balance Life and Work from About.com
This article is geared towards dads, but offers tips that are good for anyone. Tips such as: “Sometimes, the things that suffer in our busy lives have to do with our own personal health…Managing your personal health is essential to balancing work and life.”

I think all parents know about putting your own health last. This too, serves as a good reminder.

What personal tips or suggestions do you have for maintaining a little balance in your life? What have you found works for you?

Check out more work-life balance resources I’ve saved on delicious.

“Working fathers are struggling to juggle the competing demands of family and career, according to a report that shows that they are just as uneasy with their work-life balance as mothers.“

No surprise there. But, perhaps this isn’t obvious to everyone else.

The above quote is from the UK-based article titled Working fathers want more time with their children too. The article outlines some key points from the Fathers, Family and Work report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). A few interesting points in the article:

• 42% of fathers felt they were not able to spend enough time with their children
• About two in five men fear that asking for flexible working arrangements would result in their commitment to their job being questioned.
• “…employers think of women as a potential burden because they worry they will want flexible conditions. It will be helpful for women…once men are also seen as likely to demand flexible working.”

I guess it’s good for formal research to be completed and a report published on what I feel is something most men and women probably already knew. I know that my husband struggles with being a working dad just as much as I do with being a working mom. Of course he wants to spend more time with baby girl. And of course he has a hard time with balancing it all. He often works with me on planning our evening schedules and household calendar to try to manage all aspects of our daily lives.

Is this news to you or does this just confirm what you already knew? Let me know in the comments what you think of the article, the report, or just working dads in general.

SAHM – Stay at home mom.

WAHM – Work at home mom.

WOHM – Work outside the home mom.

There are many labels out there to classify just what type of mami you are.

I am what you would consider a WOHM, since I work full-time outside the home. I’m also commonly referred to as a working mother.

However, Miss Britt (co-author of the Full Time, All the Time blog at Work It, Mom!) raises a good point in her post “Where are all the working dads?”

She writes:

Why is it that Working Mom is an identity all its own, with support groups and message boards and blogs and research – and Working Dad is little more than an after thought?

I have to admit that I’ve never really heard the term working dad and have not heard any dads classify themselves as one.

But…my husband…he’s a working dad. He struggles with many of the same issues I do in trying to find a balance between the work and home lives.

But, why is it different for men?

Read Miss Britt’s post and then come back to chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

Image credit: Fathers, Work-Family Research