Dads reflect on the challenges of fatherhood two years into the COVID pandemic :

A father plays with his son at a park in Amritsar, India, on Father’s Day in June 2016.

Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images

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Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images

A father plays with his son at a park in Amritsar, India, on Father’s Day in June 2016.

Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images

With the shift to working from home giving dads the opportunity to spend more time with their children, the challenge of striking a balance between work and family over the last two years has given some of them new perspectives on fatherhood.

For Elgin Oliver, a dad of two who lives in Missouri, navigating fatherhood during the pandemic meant also working a full-time job and taking online courses.

“It was difficult, especially the school part, because just trying to have time to sit down and do my schoolwork and then still try to help out around the house with the kids … so my time was really stretched thin,” Oliver said.

Elgin Oliver with his daughter.

Elgin Oliver

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Elgin Oliver

Elgin Oliver with his daughter.

Elgin Oliver

“I’ve come to find out it’s not exactly what you do, it’s more of the time that you spend with them, and I’ve learned that our bond has grown and strengthened,” he said.

Other dads reflected on the impact of their kids learning remotely during the pandemic.

“You basically have to shift your role from being dad, to your role being dad, teacher, caretaker, phys-ed instructor, nutritionist, because all meals are eaten at home. … But also kind of finding that sense of balance on how beautiful it was that the family was together for just about all three meals every single day,” said Lance Somerfeld, a father of two who lives in New York.

Somerfeld with his two children.

Lance Somerfeld

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Lance Somerfeld

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