Jabez L. Van Cleef

Behavior

Schoolyard Dads

In the hardcore bedroom community suburb where I live, a conga line of SUV's would form every day at the elementary school where my kid goes. Now, over the summer, I look back and realize that more and more parents were walking to school towards the end of the spring, to pick up their kids. Not only that, but more and more of the parents were dads. This completely changes the dynamic of the schoolyard -- as an older semi-retired dad I felt a little like a fish out of water because all the other parents were women -- but now that economic times have changed, there is more bending of gender roles and interactions proceed in a different way.

Madsion, NJ