HBR Working Parents Starter Set (5 Books)

3

Mastering the Dad Transition

by Bruce Feiler

Quick Takes

• Accept that becoming a father brings a host of emotions
• Find appropriate venues to explore your feelings
• Free yourself from old expectations
• Create new habits at home and embrace a new culture at work
• Update your life story to include the new chapter of fatherhood

Among the transitions people face in their lives, becoming a parent may be the most consequential. The fact that this life change is often expected and joyful does little to reduce the emotional upheaval and personal and professional adjustment required.

But while the transition that new moms face—everything from postpartum depression and career anxiety to a heightened sense of pride and purpose—has been deeply studied by ...