Organising children and making sure they are somewhat presentable for the outside world has always been on the shoulder of mothers.
Brushing out those knots, tying the perfect ponytail, and even the cutest braids. This may seem like a cute bonding moment, but even this can become an emotional burden over time.
Now, some dads are catching on.
Thanks to a social media trend, dads are catching up at their local pub for a crash course on basic hairstyling.
The concept began with “Pints and Ponytails,” created by Matthew Carter and Lawrence Price, co-hosts of The Secret Life of Dads podcast. Upon dropping his daughter at school, Matthew realised her hair “looked like she’d been dragged through a bush backwards,” he told the BBC.
Starting in London, the event also traveled to Manchester before going viral. It ultimately caught on in Down Under with one group putting an Aussie spin on the title, “Beers and Braids.”
This isn’t just an opportunity to take on a traditionally maternal role. These dads are also searching for ways to bond with their daughters.
“One dad in Manchester had lost his partner and is raising his daughter by himself, there’s dads going through divorces, dads who had their own mental health journeys, but it just felt like it feels like a really safe space for dads to open up and talk,” Matthew told the BBC.
“I think men get such a bad rep all the time about not talking, but I just think they just need a safe space and the right place to do it.”
Inspired by “Pints and Ponytails”, hairdresser Joey Scandizzo took over a Melbourne restaurant in late-April with more than a dozen dads learning five looks.
The first “Beers and Braids” was held in Dubbo, NSW, after mechanic Chris Delaney suggested the idea on Facebook.
“We did have a couple of comments to say that some of the gents do hair quite often but they want to learn some new skills,” he told ABC News. “Other dads said ‘we’ve never touched hair before, never picked up a brush’.”
One of the Dubbo participants, Brett Power also told the ABC he hopes these classes mean his two daughters won’t “yell at me anymore when I brush their hair.”
“Hopefully it also means they don’t need their mum to always do their hair and they’ll ask dad for help sometimes.”
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