Most Dads go to work. The traditional male role of sole income provider is slowly but surely sharing a place in society with a co-earning parent, but that is nothing new. It has been occurring since the 1940′s when American society asked women to take up the mantles of men who had gone off to fight a war. Academia has studied this trend more and more deeply over the previous decades looking beyond the simple question of why and turning to an examination of its impact on the family, and men specifically.
According to a new study published in the Journal of Family Psychology, Dads are ignored far more often than Moms when returning home from work. It seems a strange dichotomy to me that this fact neither surprised nor seriously bothered me. Human behavior is fairly predictable and if one thing is predictable, its the short attention span of a child. They aren’t particularly inclined to tell the same story a second time. If Mom arrives home first, she get the juicy news. After that, the child is thinking, “I already told Mom so go ask her.” They broke their news and now its time for something else. Kind of like guys and the power tool section at Lowe’s. Moving from one tool to another and never really needing to back track.
The study showed that 59% of Mommies got a warm greeting when coming home. Only 44% of Dads received something similar. Forty-eight percent of Moms got news of the day and stories about things that occurred. Only 29% of Dads received something similar.
Dads – if you’re not the first to get home, don’t despair. You may not get the same greeting, but you can certainly get the same bond with your kids. Make sure you spend evening hours with them. Help with homework, play board games, finish a puzzle, shoot some hoops or play football (American or European versions work equally well). While doing all of this interaction, talk to them about their day. Share parts of your day (if it isn’t terribly boring to a kid). They will feel like a million bucks if you’re always available to listen. Also, talk to your wife about structuring the kids’ time so they aren’t engrossed in War and Peace at the time you arrive home. If they are less preoccupied, you have a better shot of getting that warm welcome. Admit it, when a smiling kid gives you a great “hi Dad!” greeting, you feel pretty damn good.
Source article: http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2010/01/05/hi-kids-im-home-study-says-children-ignore-dads-more-than-moms/
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