A Dad’s Guide to Vulnerability

Vulnerability is something all of us men struggle with frequently. Feeling vulnerable is defined as feeling emotional uncertainty and feeling at risk of being exposed emotionally (Brown, 2012). But what does it mean to be vulnerable as a dad and how does it deepen relationships with children?

Feeling vulnerable is something many of us men silently struggle with.

We create these narratives in our head which ultimately become our source of programming in a culture that doesn’t reward us for being open. It takes conscious effort, reminders and repeated trials before it’s possible to change the conversations we have in our heads. But as fathers, it is even more essential for us to become vulnerable and role-models. If not just for us, then for our children.

Currently, mental health challenges have evolved and become more prominent in men. At the same time, our knowledge and conversations around mental health have also grown. Men struggle with vulnerability and mental health because these are two sides of the same coin. For example, we can't get help without being vulnerable and saying we need help. Without opening up, mental health can decline.