WATCH: Siya and Rachel Kolisi chat live about fatherhood and absent dads

Siya said he now feels empowered as a man knowing he can take care of his family.


What started as a video of Siya Kolisi preparing dinner for the family (chicken stir fry), ended up being a very profound conversation on parenting and fatherhood.

They shared about the importance of men being an active part of the family. For Siya, it is important for him to be able to cope in Rachel’s absence. Now, he can truly call himself a real man because he is able to clean the house, cook, and take care of the kids, even when Rachel is not around.

Also read: Breaking the cycle of fatherlessness with Will and Jada Smith

Previously, he was unable to do that. But the lockdown has afforded him the opportunity to learn.

Siya went on to win the hearts of his audience again when he looked at Rachel in total admiration and said: “You look amazing.”

Absent fathers still remain a reality for a lot of families. They accredited some of it to the generational legacy of absent fathers being a norm. Men that grow up without fathers and continue the cycle when they become fathers.

Also read: The cycle of fatherlessness

He no longer calls looking after his own children babysitting, and this required a lot of unlearning.

“You can’t babysit your own children,” Siya said, and this was a lesson he learned from Rachel.

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