CHENNAI: Chennai dads are taking the lead in sharing responsibility in raising children. A nationwide survey shows that fathers here have the highest participation in activities like walking or watching movies with their children. The city is also second only to Nagpur when it comes to dads attending school functions and meetings.The survey shows that these ‘penguin dads’ — named after the male emperor penguin which takes responsibility for the egg after the female lays it — are breaking the less-involved-Indian-dad stereotype in style.In the cases of city-based couple Pooja and Gopal Ganesh, parents of eight-year-old twins, Gopal takes charge of most parenting routines from attending PTAs to lining up weekend activities. “It’s not as if Pooja doesn’t contribute. I just take the lead so she can focus on other things that are equally important,” says Gopal, who also takes charge of the children’s morning routine. According to the survey done by Flipkart, 88% of Chennai dads attend PTA meetings and other school functions usually. They are also the second highest involved when it comes to waking their kids up (78%) after Mangalore (79%). At least 75% of the dads in the city said they spent more time with the family after becoming a parent. The city saw the highest participation at 80% when it comes to engaging in fun activities with their kids. Chennai ranked highest in the all-India average across all parameters except one — only 52% said they have breakfast with their kids, 10% lower than the rest of the country.A lot can be attributed to how each generation evolves, says clinical psychologist Kavita Verma. “Every generation adapts to the needs of the house. Earlier, there were joint families so the responsibility was shared among more people. In today’s nuclear family set-up, the dad has to pitch in,” Verma says.In the case of Prince Emmanuel, his hectic schedule leaves him with little time for his daughter Michelle. “I don’t do the everyday things like getting her ready for school or eating breakfast with her, which my wife does. Weekends are my responsibility,” says Emmanuel.“It’s always good when mother and father are involved. Today, if the dad doesn’t do these things, he will be the odd one out,” says Verma.While attending school functions and activities with kids sound great, mothers say fathers need to get involved in the “dirty” work too. “PTAs, swimming lessons, and a day out at the park are all cosmetic. There is a lot of other work involved like changing diapers and doctor visits. I’d like to see men take these up too once in a while,” says Seethalakshmi Karthik, mother of two.

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