“At first, you’ll see, you’re useless. “This sentence, the actor Mickaël Gouin heard it many times shortly before the birth of his son almost two years ago. “I said to myself: ‘It’s impossible that we’re absolutely useless,'” recalls the one we saw last summer in the film Lines of Flight with his wife, Léane Labrèche-Dor. In fact, he’s never been so “in the juice” as he’s been responding to the title “daddy” for a little human being.
“I think we’re a new generation of fathers who want to be very involved in the whole process,” observes the comedian. But how do you get involved when it’s the mother who’s carrying the baby, giving birth, breastfeeding? Mickaël Gouin would have liked to obtain from the men of his entourage a better answer than “you are useless”.
“It’s okay to ask dad to get involved, but you have to know how,” adds Jonathan Roberge. When the comedian first became a father almost 14 years ago, he went to a bookstore. The only book on fatherhood he found didn’t talk about pregnancy or childbirth. Even less breastfeeding. Instead, he explained to fathers how to build a treehouse… It’s very useful for a baby. “It’s not even joking,” he assures, as laughter erupts around the table, especially when he specifies that he’s “zero manual.”
Through the slices of life they recount in Paternal Instinct, Mickaël Gouin, Jonathan Roberge and Olivier Niquet lift the veil on the kind of questions, fears and joys that fathers experience today, with a good dose of humour, self-mockery and without taboos.
In general, parents have a modesty that leads them not to talk about certain topics related to parenthood, believes Mickaël Gouin, who, in an episode, recounts with great transparency the misadventures his couple experienced due to a late milky rise. To give you an idea, it ends with a hug to a breast pump saleswoman.
“Not many girls are going to say, ‘I have mastitis.’ Or guys who are going to say, “My girlfriend is clogged. Her milk does not want to flow.” adds Jonathan Roberge.
The themes covered in the five episodes are varied and aimed at parents of children of all ages (and even those without children, says Jonathan Roberge): breastfeeding, screen time, separation, sexuality after childbirth, cooking with children.
“All the subjects I have chosen are really questions that I ask myself,” says Olivier Niquet, father of two teenagers aged 12 and 15.
The one we can hear at The day (is still young) on ICI Première considers that the role of father has greatly evolved in recent years. However, in some, “patterns of the past” persist, he laments. “I’m always surprised to see how tasks are shared among people I know and love,” he says.
According to the trio, what is the biggest challenge for fathers today? “I think we are responsible for forming a next generation of little boys who are attentive, sensitive, open and non-toxic”, replies Mickaël Gouin, thinking in particular (“but not exclusively”) of the movement
The other two fathers, who each have two boys, also feel this “social responsibility”.
“But beyond that, I think my main goal is just for them to be happy,” adds Olivier Niquet.
Even though the word “responsibility” comes up a few times throughout the discussion, we feel that all three of them are very much enjoying their role as fathers. “As hard as it is in bits, it’s a great carnival. There is something light, fun, festive in fatherhood, ”summarizes Mickaël Gouin.
Fatherly Instinct is part of a new family-centric collection from OHdio. Oh ! Kids on Board offers a variety of podcasts, including Psychologist and Mom, a series in which Dr. Nadia Gagnier offers advice related to child development. Candidate of OD in the West, the young mother Alexandra Lapierre tells in the manner of a logbook her adventure of motherhood in Destination baby. Among the novelties, we also find Jonathan Roberge at the helm of Surviving homework: your questions to Alloprof.
