Giving a voice to fathers
Alain Legault, host of The Dad Show , hopes to give a voice to fathers all over the world.
FRANCIS RACINE francis.racine@eap.on.ca
“They’re from people all over the world. I was pretty surprised.” The Dad Show focuses on parenting, more specifically, parenting for fathers. “In our society, it’s established that mothers have their roles and that fathers have their roles,” he says. “We’re trying to show the world that there’s more to it than that. Parents nowadays think they can do everything. They work two jobs and barely have time to take care of their kids.” Taking a sip from his coffee cup, Legault also points to the fact that his show also aims to help local fathers. “It’s somewhat expected that fathers won’t stick around,” he says. “We’re hoping to change that. We’re showing that fathers
are very important to family structure.” He also states that often times fathers aren’t seen as caretakers. “Some fathers will look at diapers and just walk away,” he says. “But we have to show them that it isn’t that bad. Fathers can be caretakers too.” The man hopes to encourage young fathers to stay in their kid’s lives. “It’s extremely important for them to be there,” he stresses. “We have to tell them that they have the right to be in their kid’s lives.” Speaking of experience Legault, who, before starting The Dad Show had no prior experience in radio broadcasting isn’t new to parenting. “There’s a reason why I chose that topic,”
he says, smiling. “I’ma stay at home father.” Although he loves what he does, the beardedman explains that there’s a certain stigma attached with being a stay-at-home dad. “I get weird looks when I go places with my son,” he says. “I’ve even had the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) called onme.” Following the news that his son was diagnosed with autism, Legault decided to quit his job in order to take care of him full time. “My wife decided that I would stay home,” he said. “She had a better paying job than me, so it wasn’t a hard decision.” The Dad Show airs once every two weeks, but Legault explains that it will soon change. “We’re soon going to be broadcasting on a weekly basis.”
Sitting in the food court of the Cornwall Square, Alain Legault drinks his coffee and reads his newspaper. Sporting a beard, the Cornwall man is the host of The Dad Show , a one-hour long live internet broadcast that deals with parenting. “It’s actually a shoutcast,” explains Legault. “It’s like a podcast but it’s live. It’s a parenting show froma father’s perspective.” The show, which aired its first official episode two weeks ago, has already garnered some interest from listeners not only in Cornwall, but from abroad. “I got several emails,” he explains.
Le Journal, Cornwall
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Le mercredi 9 mars 2016
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