GXDs either got their cuppas in bed, made lovingly by their cute, conscientious kid. Or realised the grave import of the day after seeing daddy photos posted by friends of their younger selves and their dads on social media. So, GXD woke up to the 21st century and sweet coffee, without sugar.
So, this year’s Sunday ‘Happy Father’s Day’ coffee brought in the additional pressure of appearing pleasantly surprised, wearing a half-knowing smile, and a half-I’ve-been-so-tied-up-lately’ hangdog look.
Tied up he is, no doubt. There are pressures of the urban, high-rise living GXD. And that does not include scrolling up and down checking stocks or LinkedIn opportunities. Even golf sounds passe, too Gen X in these times of Gen Z. It’s the time to branch out – play drums in a basement band, hangout on the highway with fellow daddy bikers, or go off-roading beyond the burbs. And then Insta it. It is time for the ordinary papa to go out there and do extraordinary things. And return home appearing just-above ordinary, staying humble, staying cool.
And yet the silverfox dad is slowly ageing, missing out on the possibilities of social influence, an area in which high-rise moms have now taken an insurmountable lead. Be it from the towers of Gurgaon or the verticals of Bangalore, these Mom Groups are now the tour-de-force of ‘crowdsourced parenting’. These are not weekend groups, but organisations of moms who advise, counsel, meet and market. From tips on health, money to organizing meetups for grandparents, facilitating birthday parties for children, advising would-be mothers, these groups are a one-stop point of every maternal redressal.
Brands reach out to them for influence. Local schools reach out for ‘collaborations’. Any mom who plans to start her beauty parlour or art classes seeks their blessings. These post-homemaking Alpha Moms have built, established and held sway beyond their gated highrises, immediate suburbs with their social startups. Meanwhile, GXD is forever planning playing catch-up with the next-door IIT dropout who just bagged a few more millions for his yet-to-start-up startup. But then, take heart. It’s not all GXDs’ fault. They were brought up that way. The golden boy was hardwired in his childhood to put blinkers on and crack some IIT – or anything half-similar – that, too, while travelling on public transport. And he did – if not an IIT, then some IIM or other nifty acronymous place, and then arrived with a 3BHK mark on the tower overlooking the common swimming pool.
When all that was done – in such a short span too, with every story sounding as similar or dissimilar to the once-heard ripped jeans-to-riches story – he branched out to, well, find himself. And this Super Dad went off with his friends, mutual funds and fellow angel investors. Meanwhile, the Super Moms quietly got on the project treadmill with their super plans that soon brought them their collective super swag.
But dear GXD. Do not be disheartened. If your silver hair experience brings a cynical smile aimed at dismissing the moms and their efforts as gatekeepers of maternal influence, there’s always the scope of being a gatekeeper of community order and engagement.
It’s time to become an active member of the local RWA. One hears there’s ‘influence’ there too as an RWA Uncle. If you can’t beat fellow GXDs gathering every Sunday morning, join them. And while at it, do bring up the condition of the building society perimeter fence.
