Fathers and Testosterone

I read an article recently that caught my eye seeing as I will be a new father very soon.  The article dealt with a study recently released that said a man's testosterone level drops after becoming a father.  It goes further and indicates that the more involved the father is with actually raising a child, the more the hormone decreases.  (Article linked here.)  So what was the point of this study and what does it actually mean?  I really don't know the whole point of the study unless it was an attempt to scare men into staying away from their children and not taking an active part in child rearing.  Well if that was the case, it didn't work on me.  As to what it means, that in large part determines on what you define a man to be.  If you define a man solely by the level of his testosterone, then I guess most of us are screwed (or at least most fathers).  To me, by saying testosterone plays a large part in what determines a man is similar to saying that the only true men on earth were the cavemen and if we can't measure up to them, then we aren't really men.  The definition of a man varies as you go through the ages.  Philosophically speaking, you can not take man as a sum through all time, you must look at a man in relation to the time that he lives in and by doing so get a much better understanding of what a man is.  Man is part of the society and culture that he grows up in and even within that culture, you will find many different aspects of what a man is.  Even with that said, there is still a prevailing notion, perpetually adhered to any male that says man must go into woods, cut down tree, hunt and kill deer, and start fire with bare hands.  That's well and good, but not all men fit into that category.  So to me, this study doesn't mean that much in terms of what a man is. 

It does take on a different meaning if you look past the article, what it is saying, and look at how nature and biology work together to create a perfect environment for child rearing.   If you look at a man when they have the highest testosterone levels, their late teens early twenties, those men are largely short fused, impatient, go getters, weight lifters, etc (I know, a lot of generalities, but run with it).  What I see happening with the reduction of testosterone, especially the more that a father participates in raising the child, is that nature and biology are tempering that man somewhat, allowing him to participate fully with raising the child absent of the testosterone fueled angst.  I feel that it is a wonderful natural response to raising a child and it shouldn't be misconstrued as men losing their manhood.   What better way for a man to get in the mode of parenting than to reduce his testosterone.  If some men are so attached to their identity as a man as compared to their testosterone level, then maybe they shouldn't have children because their testosterone level will drop.  But I feel, especially in this day and age, and by looking at the article, that more and more men are taking an active role in raising their child and more and more men are OK with the reduction in testosterone.  As such, the role of man in society is changing and we can not continuously compare modern day man to any man in the past.  Man today must be taken for what he is. 

So even with a reduced testosterone level, does that mean that men will lose their vitality and drive to do "manly" things.  No, because as a father from Minnesota stated, he still bow hunts, fishes, plays hockey and uses chainsaws.  Testosterone is just one small factor of manhood.  What we really need to do is focus more on who we are as an individual and not compare our potential drop in testosterone to those of others.  Of course that would mean that all men must be secure with themselves at some level and I highly doubt that all men are.  Whoever is about to become a father or already is, there is no higher calling than to assist in raising your child.  Gone are the days when the man in the house was the sole breadwinner.  It now takes two to bring in the necessary money to have a family and as such it takes two to raise the children.  Or it could be the woman is bringing in all the money in which the father must take on the role of raising the children.  There is no defining line anymore.  Men and women, despite certain lingering inequalities are overall becoming more and more equal.  Men and women can never fully occupy the same plane simply because of the basic physiological differences, but I believe that we have come closer to being equal than we ever have in the past.  Some may view it as a good thing, some as a bad.  For me, it is great thing to see the playing field leveled, to see men and women closer together.  Today, celebrate being a man, whatever that may mean to you, and most of all, if you are a father, celebrate fatherhood and all it means.