Have you ever heard of the term, ‘Penguin Dad’? With the changing era, just how the women are working shoulder-to-shoulder with their husbands, men have also evolved from being just breadwinner of the family to be an active part in his wife and child’s life too. Watching a father taking equal responsibility in nurturing the child, take care of them, spending time with them is on more a utopian scenario. Men are now taking a step to nurture their child, not because they have to, but because they want to and that is what summarizes being a ‘Penguin Dad’. Pakistani cricketer and former captain, Shoaib Malik, is an exemplar of ‘Penguin Dad’. (Also Read: Kapil Sharma's Paternity Leave For Spending Time With Wife Ginni And Daughter Is Over, Resumes Shoot)
Despite his busy schedule, Shoaib Malik makes parenting looks like a cakewalk as he spends quality time with his son, Izhaan Mirza Malik whenever possible. Shoaib and his star wife, Sania Mirza had embraced parenthood on October 30, 2018, and it was the proud daddy, who had announced the arrival of their son and had revealed the name. A few months back, Shoaib had posted a glimpse of his chill session with baby Izhaan and going by the smile and giggle on the little one’s face, we can easily decipher the bond that this father and son shares! Shoaib had captioned it “Miss you my boy.”
Just five days after Izhaan Mirza Malik came into this world, he along with his mommy, Sania Mirza had together watched Shoaib Malik play cricket on television. And now, what looks like from Izhaan’s latest video, the one-year-old munchkin is all set to follow his father’s footsteps as he has already begun practising cricket. Giving a glimpse of Izhaan’s favourite ‘sweep’ shot, Sania wrote, “I guess ‘sweep’ might just be my favorite shot.” The video was shared on baby Izhaan’s Instagram handle, which is managed by his mommy, Sania.
The first time, Shoaib Malik and his star wife, Sania Mirza had announced the news of their pregnancy in their own unique way, we all were curious about the baby’s surname, which comprised of both of the parent’s surname, ‘Mirza Malik’. Speaking about the same in a 2018 interview with Gulf News, the star cricketer was quoted as saying, “We discussed this in the beginning and we both came up with it together. It’s not a move, but a statement. My family history and my family name comes with a lot of honour, which I celebrate with pride. It should be the same for Sania. Being a husband or a wife or a mother or a father should not change that for either. Having a shared surname is in line with how we went about when we got married: Sania Mirza remained Sania Mirza and was not changed to Sania Malik.” (Also Read: K.G.F. Star, Yash's Wife, Radhika Pandit And Daughter, Ayra Bake A Cake For Him On His Birthday)
Shoaib Malik had also spoken about how important paternity leave is for parents to ensure a healthy work-life balance. He had stated, “The simple answer: Yes, of course but it’s not that simple. In cricket or any sport for that matter, a break of any kind may not be a choice. There is no perfect setting to “work-life-balance” as it’s very competitive. A friend of mine had a paid three-month paternity leave and I wish I could do that.”
In an interview with the Pinkvilla, Sania Mirza had revealed how her husband, Shoaib Malik helps her in babysitting their son, Izhaan Mirza Malik. Replying to, “How has Shoaib been helping you with babysitting?” Sania had retorted, “A lot has changed after becoming a mother, your life changes, I think the whole focus becomes about the baby and prioritising the baby. Me as a working woman, I obviously want to get back to tennis, so I am trying to prioritise my time. It is the most selfless kind of love I have ever known, and it is the most amazing feeling I have ever had. My life has completely changed for the better. Ya, Shoaib is also playing quite a lot and is travelling so he does help whenever he can.”
When Shoaib Malik had announced his retirement and had bid goodbye to ODI cricket in July 2019, Sania Mirza had dedicated a tweet to him on behalf of their son, Izhaan Mirza Malik. Sharing how proud they are of everything he has achieved in a career spanning 20 years, Sania had tweeted, "‘Every story has an end, but in life every ending is a new beginning’ @realshoaibmalik you have proudly played for your country for 20 years and u continue to do so with so much honour and humility..Izhaan and I are so proud of everything you have achieved but also for who you are. here’s to a few more thousand T20 runs." (Also Read: Raghu Ram And Natalie Di Luccio Become Parents, Former Reveals The Name Of Their Newborn Baby)
Well, in the end, all we can say is - like father, like son!
