Tamworth DILF Club: Lee Harwood starts a fathers group in the New England

Father-of-two Lee Harwood recently moved back to Tamworth from Gunnedah, and found himself struggling to find a group of mates he could open up to about fatherhood.

So, he started the local DILF club, Dads I’d Like To Friend.

“It’s hard being a young dad, you’re not out at the pub socialising like a lot of people our age so it can be hard to meet people,” Mr Harwood said.

“Life’s changing, it’s not just the ladies who parent anymore – I love being involved and active with the kids and it’s a chance for the guys to share everything from nappy explosions to sleepless nights and toilet training.”

The DILF Club was started by a group of guys on the central coast who saw the need for a father’s group, it’s a place where the sloppy dad bod is not only welcomed, but encouraged.

With the return to work increasing steadily for parent couples, from 53 per cent in 1996 to 61 per cent in 2016, flexible work arrangements are seeing less stay-at-home mothers, an Australian Institute of Family Studies report shows.

Parenting is becoming more of a shared role with women now returning to the workforce after they have kids Mr Harwood said.

“There’s not really a handbook on kids, my two-year-old was a shocking sleeper, getting used to the sleepless nights, the nappy changes – there’s nothing worse than wearing a clean white shirt at the hardware store and having your kid unleash,” he said.

“Having your eyes hanging out, going to work and trying to focus it’s this whole new world that opens up to you with the responsibilities you’ve got – it changes your life.

“It’s been hard but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

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Mr Harwood and his wife did all they could to prepare themselves for children, visiting the baby classes that teach a lot about the birth but little about what it will be like once parents get home.

“The DILF Club is all-inclusive, it doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from, it’s about mateship and sharing experiences,” he said.

“It’s about being that support network for the guys and having the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other.”

The first DILF Club meeting is on Sunday November 4 at 9am at the Tamworth Marsupial Park with a coffee van on arrival.

For more information visit the Facebook page DILF Club – New England Region NSW.

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