Chance the Rapper postpones tour for paternity leave

The dads of today are doing an amazing job. They’re spending three times as much time with their kids than previous generations and it shows in their kids. An involved dad can boost a child’s cognitive, behavioral and psychological development, research shows.

The vast majority of dads—85%, according to a recent survey—say they would do anything to be able to be very involved in the early weeks and months after their child’s birth and Chance the Rapper is no exception. He just made the hard choice to delay his highly anticipated tour to spend more time at home with his week-old daughter, Marli.

Chance and his wife, Kirsten Corley, just welcomed Marli a week ago. She joins big sister Kensli, who was born in 2015. Chance has learned a lot about fatherhood since Kensli was born and that’s why he’s decided to postpone the tour.

“I thought it over for the past week and I’ve decided to push back my tour. This year has been one of the greatest of my life; Marriage, new baby, first album etc. But with it being so eventful it has also been very strenuous having to divide my time and energy between family and work,” he wrote on Instagram.

“When Kensli was born, I went on tour 2 weeks later and missed some of the most important milestones in her life, but more importantly I was absent when her mother needed me the most. At this point as a husband and father of two I realize that I can’t make that mistake again. I need to be as helpful and available as possible to my wife in these early months of raising Kensli and Marli,” he explained.

In his Instagram caption, Chance goes on to apologize to fans who were hoping to see him soon, hoping that they will understand and forgive him.

We totally understand and wish Chance didn’t even feel like he had to ask for forgiveness.

It is amazing that he is taking the time he needs with his family, because while 85% of dads want to, less than 50% of dads actually take all the paternity leave time available to them (when it is at all) because social norms and financial pressures make them feel like they can’t.

Chance the Rapper is doing an amazing thing for his family by taking paternity leave, but he’s also doing an amazing thing for society by sharing, much like Reddit co-founder (and Serena Williams’ husband) Alexis Ohanian did with his very public paternity leave, how important it is to himself and his family that he be present.

When Cardi B canceled a tour to be home with her baby we applauded her and we are applauding in this case, too, because dads are parents, too.

Fathers want to take paternity leave, but they need it to be paid, available without sacrificing their partner’s leave, and they need it to be unstigmatized. Today, we took a huge step toward that last part thanks to Kensli and Marli’s dad.

Chance the Rapper will be back on tour on January 15. Until then, he is going to get to bond with his children the way all dads should get to.

You might also like:

• Don’t underestimate the way paid paternity leave benefits moms, babies *and* companies
• Alexis Ohanian wants every father to take paternity leave
• 85% of fathers would do anything to be home with their baby, says new survey