Being a dad sometimes doesn't carry the same weight as being a mom. Moms are the ones babies see at birth, creating an instant connection that's impenetrable.
For Brooklyn-based director Reinaldo Marcus Green, being a dad is a new experience. Before becoming a father, Green barely had experience with kids beyond his own childhood.
On September 5, Green filmed a day with his son, Rio, part of a three-episode series titled "Mother Nature." "Not Mommy" examines what a day is like taking on fatherhood.
The video begins with Rio, the two-year-old toddler, walking up to Green (behind the camera) and yelling, "Mommy!"
"Mommy's over there," Green replies, and you get the sense that it's about to be a rough day.
In fact, Green likens being a dad to "literally waking up and figuring out how to keep him alive by the time his mom comes home."
Dad and son then go about their day, which includes: Rio running around the subway and then accidentally peeing himself on the train, bath time when Green informs Ri0 that Mom isn't coming home when expected, and even a lesson on not hitting a parent.
In the end, Green determines that "after the bumps and bruises, the scars and saliva, and the 'kaki' and screaming for Mommy…there's a moment where you feel like its all worth it.
"It's the pain which allows us to be present, and to fall in love," he explains.
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Mother Nature: Not Mommy – NOWNESS from NOWNESS on Vimeo.
