Soft Dad

Crying-in-public dad

Tender · Verbal · Brave

You say "I love you" first and cry at the school play on purpose. They notice.

What this archetype looks like

You are trying to parent with affection, honesty and emotional openness. The good part is that your kids get a model of fatherhood that is warm and human. The hard part is that doing it differently can bring up grief about what you did not receive. That grief is real. What helps is caring for it directly, instead of letting it turn into resentment. You can be a softer dad and still need support yourself.

Strengths

Models emotional honesty
Breaks generational pattern

Watch-outs

Quiet grief about your own dad
Pace your partner has to match

What to do with this

Try the Emotional Intelligence test
Try the Attachment Style test

Curious if this is you?

Take the What Kind of Dad →