Finding a way to successfully juggle career and family is an extremely daunting task. Yet, there are some parents that who make it look flawless and NBC’s Today Show‘s Craig Melvin is one of those dads. Recently, Melvin opened up about just how much he finds joy in being a dad.
“I’m proud that I am physically present for my kids, and what I work on is being more emotionally and mentally present for them,” Melvin, who serves as a news anchor for the Today Show and also serves as host of Today Third Hour said in an interview with Parents.com. “When I’m with my son or daughter, I’m listening and responding to what they tell me instead of wondering about my to-do list or thinking about the show from that morning or emails I have to get back to.”
As a father of two—nine-year-old Delano and six-year-old Sybil, Melvin realizes that each child is different. He told the popular parenting magazine that recognizing that, he had to tap into his emotional side, finding joy in “the little things and moments” in relation to each of his children’s uniqueness.
“It’s different with my son and daughter,” he said in his interview. “My daughter requires what I like to call active engagement. My son is perfectly fine with just sitting and watching Planet Earth and sharing a word or thought every fifteen or twenty minutes or so.”
Melvin continued, “I was never one who is prone to a great deal of emotion until fatherhood. My daughter recently had a dance recital that was two and a half hours for a three-minute performance. My daughter was third to last, and by the time her group got up to perform, I was just as excited about it as she was. The confidence she displayed was outstanding, and I found myself getting teary.”
Although Melvin seems to have found the formula for finding the joy in a work-life balance, many father’s are still on that journey. According to a recent survey by Parents and Verywell Mind, a survey of 1,600 fathers revealed that two out of three dads state that they’ve been at least moderately stressed over the past 30 days—and 43% of those said half of their stress level is related to child care.
So what is the secret? Well, take a page from Melvin’s book and just be present. The television personality says that although it can be hard to turn off work sometimes, time with his children is more important.
Remember, children only want to be with their parents for what seems like a moment in time, make the best of being there for them emotionally, physically, and mentally, and you all will create memories that will last a lifetime.
Photo Credit(s)/Featured Image: Craig Melvin Instagram
