Nothing, really nothing happens when men become fathers. The only role a father gets to play in the lives of his children, apart from giving them his name, is to provide for their needs. All the glory, all the happiness and all the euphoria that the newborn brings along is for the mother. It is she who had carried it in her womb, it is she who, at the risk of her life, has gone through the trauma of child birth and now she is the one who shall nurse it through infancy. In the process, in exchange of some uneasiness and discomfort, it is she who shall form lifelong strong and unique bonds of intimacy and love with the child.

Until recently, even the father was happy with this situation. After all, who wanted to hold a tiny delicate bundle that would cry or piss any moment, or sleep all the time? The fear of causing any unintended harm just about matched the fear of fellows finding out and calling you a sissy for wanting to hold the child.

But that is not true any more. Men too want to take active part in parenting, and society at large has also started recognizing this. After all, parenting is all about raising a family and a family is complete only with all the three units playing active roles- the children, the mother and the father.

With the nuclear family system and fulltime responsibilities outside the home for husband and wife both, traditional gender based roles no longer serve the purpose. Whether it is sheer need, awareness about current research or simply the changing individual preferences, men have started to feel the need to take active steps to change the archaic gender based scenario.

Doctors have welcomed the husband into the labor room with greater success. Men have started taking active care of the mother and the baby. He no longer feels awkward holding the baby or even changing nappies. Nobody would actually ridicule him for doing things that were considered as sissy some time ago. But even if anybody did, he wouldn't give a damn. Interacting with the babies has taken on a new meaning in his life and he actually enjoys it. Not only does he get to share an amazingly special relationship with the baby, his relationship with his wife also changes for the better. In fact, by consciously adding this new dimension to his personality, a man becomes a better man in his own eyes.

From the view point of psychologists too, this new relationship does lots of good to all the individuals involved, to the family as a whole and the society at large, for in secure and complete relationships in early infancy lies the foundation of a well developed personality that's capable of forming healthy relationships with others, in turn ensuring happiness and positivism in life.

The corporate sector too has taken note of this trend and has started giving paid leaves to employees for fatherhood. With the society taking the right turn, it is your turn now, I believe, to join the bandwagon and fill your life with toothless smiles and baby talk. A word of caution though, please don't get upset with the crying, just try and hold on to your patience a little longer and if still it does not work, what's your partner there for? You two together with the baby shall simply rock. Go ahead and have fun that'll last for a lifetime- through all its ups and downs.