Another Father's Thoughts

Allan Barmak, a UVa graduate and former apartment-mate in Charlottesville, offers his thoughts on fatherhood to Old Wahoo.

Age? 36
Number of children and their ages? 3. Taylor (9), Macy (7), Greyson (4)
Occupation? Regional Sales Director
What is the best part about being a father? The pride that I have in my kids when they accomplish something they set out to do.
What is the toughest challenge you face as a father? Keeping my kids protected and safe without sheltering them.
How do you balance career and family responsibilities? What kind of challenges does you career present? It’s tough. I try to shut off work-related issues between dinner time and bed time- that’s family time. However, my sales territory is pretty big, so there are nights when I’m out on the road. I feel bad when I can’t be home at night. I also coach their soccer and basketball teams, so I leave all office work where it is when I head-off to practice.
How has fatherhood changed since you were a child? I think fathers take a more active role in raising the kids. With the increase in telecommuting, many fathers have the luxury of being able to spend more time with their kids, even if it’s just a matter of coming downstairs from the home office to take a 15-minute break.
How are you a different father than your father? Do you have different responsibilities or duties, either small or large? I think I’m more engaged with my kids’ athletic activities than my father. However, he was more engaged with academic activities than I am with my kids. I’m not exactly sure what “responsibilities” my father had (or what my mother gave him :) ), so unfortunately, I can’t really answer that.
What’s the best advice about fatherhood that you’ve received? The kids grow up fast. Work hard during the day, but stop at 6:00 to get back to your family. You can deal with any excess workload the next morning.

Thanks for your time, Allan, and best wishes to your family.