About
Few may know this, but twice as many dads of newborns today are now in the 40-plus age group, compared to the 1970s. Six weeks before my 40th birthday, I became a first-time father, hence the title of this blog.
This life-changing moment made me think about my own dad, who became a father at 43. As my parenthood journey unfolded, I noticed that most of my friends had become parents earlier in life yet, here I was, changing diapers and battling sleep deprivation at (nearly) 40. I told my wife, “Parenting is definitely a young man’s game.” But is it really?
Where most of my friends were preparing for their children’s middle and high school graduations, I was mastering the art of the swaddle, perfecting the one-hand baby wipe, and learning to decipher my daughter’s gurgles and whimpers. It occurred to me that I had so much more to offer my daughter at the sure-footed age of 40 than I did at, say, 28, when I was still coming into my own.
Fatherhood@Forty: Memoirs of a Gen X Suburban Dad™ is a creative outlet to share my experiences and connect with other (relatively) late-in-life dads.
Here are a few factoids about me, Johnathon Briggs, the editor behind this blog:
- I’m a former journalist (Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune).
- I love exploring Chicago and the Midwest with my family.
- I remain on a constant quest to stay fit.
- I support charities that fight HIV, uplift families affected by incarceration, and ensure African American boys graduate from college.
- I’m a comic book geek (mostly Marvel, but a bit of DC and Image Comics).
- I’m a child of the ‘80s, so please expect occasional references to the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.
As a reporter for daily newspapers, I had the opportunity to interview fascinating people and to test out great products and brands for my readers. I hope to do the same for you as I blog about the moments that make up this adventure called fatherhood.
Feel free to tweet (@fatherhoodforty) or email (fatherhoodforty@gmail.com) me if you’d like to collaborate or have ideas for a blog post.
Father on,
