About
October 21st, 2007 . by adminWho is the 21st Century Dad?
21st Century Dad dot com was started by Elliott Kim in 2007 to share his insights on life as a dad.
The Stepfather
In 2006, Elliott was thrust into a parental role when Renee’s son Austin moved in. With his background, education, and self-directed studies, he thought he was equipped to handle this new role. His confidence was further boosted by the fact that he and Austin get along really well. As a person who defies stereotypes, he didn’t want to be a typical stepfather. Then reality set in.
- 12 year old boys fully utilize their 1080 square foot laundry hamper. (The remaining 20 square feet of the house is the laundry room.)
- 12 year old boys have only 4 years of life experience repeated 3 times.
- 12 year old boys can’t remember to take out the trash, yet they remember the exact sequence and complex timing of moves required to beat 63 different video games.
Personal Development and Growth Through Parenting
Elliott soon realized the “what part of ‘if it pisses me off, then don’t do it!’ do you not understand?!” approach is not effective at all. He ultimately found the answers in his own quest for personal growth. One day, Elliott recalled the words of Mahatma Gandhi. “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Parenting didn’t suck anymore. Be the change you want to see in your child.
- A child needs your unconditional love and support.
- A child needs your encouragement in every area of his or her life.
- A child needs your acceptance.
A New Arrival
In March of 2007, Renee learned that she was pregnant. This changed everything again. Even from within the womb, Ariana Leigh was teaching Elliott many things. On August 7th, 2007, Ariana Leigh was born. On that day, a new Elliott was born too.
Like many dad bloggers, he is finding his way with help from his peers. He has played an active role in parenting from day one. He continues to provide the emotional, spiritual, and logistical support that mother and child need. His own personal growth and development prepared him to accept yet another journey of growth, development, and discovery through parenting.
Contact Me
info [at] 21stcenturydad.com
The Gandhi quote is awesome. I often use his other one “An eye for an eye only ends up making the world blind.”
I am so happy to have met you and your wife Renee. I often wonder how my bi-racial child will fare in the world. I am 1/2 Korean, 1/2 White (I’m not really sure what kind of “white” because my Dad was adopted, but I assure you – He is WHITE!). My husband is 1/2 Puerto Rican and 1/2 Dominican. I worry that our daughter will naturally identify herself as Latin because his entire family lives here and speaks Spanish and I guess technically she is Latin more than anything else. I have never really identified much with Korean culture as I was born in Germany and moved to the US when I was 8. I have been lucky that my looks are generic enough that I have never really been targeted for the stupid racist comments other Asians are subjected to, but I have always enjoyed being “different” and am always proud to tell people that I am 1/2 Korean. I’m just hoping that our daughter won’t be confused about who she is and that she won’t get tired of “checking all of the boxes” everytime she is asked what her ethnicity is.
Wow! Great “About” page. It tells a really cool story about who you are as a dad. Thanks for sharing.
Love your blog. I am also a dad, well about to become one, with a blog. I have linked to you, be great if you could link back
thanks
http://daddydazed.co.uk