Australian Dads Want More Time With Their Children, study finds
Forget the socks, ties, DVDs and other trinkets you might be thinking of picking up for father’s day.
This year, give dad what he really wants – time with the family.
A study called The New Dad from Converge International and Boston College Centre for Work and Family says Australian dads are looking to shift roles from the traditional bread winner into that of a more involved parent.
Job security is important to dads, but employment with flexible arrangements that could allow them to spend more time with the kids has outranked the desire for a high income.
“Men do feel that there is a significant gap between what they are doing in terms of caregiving and what they would like to be doing,” the report said.
“Our study confirms what past research has suggested: balancing work and family is not just a `woman’s issue’.”
About 80 per cent of dads who participated in the study said their children were their number one priority.
Almost 83 per cent said the would consider the impact a new job would have on their ability to care for their kids before taking it.
“Our study confirms what past research has suggested: balancing work and family is not just a `woman’s issue’.”
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 46 per cent of dads with kids aged up to 17 years volunteered to help an organisation, particularly sporting groups, 39 per cent doing so weekly.
Pitching in around the home, helping with the everyday tasks of parenting was rated as very or extremely important by 68 per cent of dads and more than 84 per cent believed it was very important to be be involved and present in their child’s life.
So this year zip up your wallets and give your father what he really wants: the time to be a dad.
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I remember when my kids were young how my ex refused to work, even though we were struggling financially. I want edto spend time with my kids, but ended up taking on an additional job. I still managed to find time to take them to their basketball games, and coach their teams, and thank god because that is what got me shared care at the time. But it almost drove me into an early grave.
Many dads want to spend time with their kids. Always have. Unfortunately, in many families, they have no control over anything, including who has ownership of the remote control. This outdated mentaility of working until it kills you still pervades most families, and even young families today.
The corrupt systems in place don’t do anything to make anything any easier, with ridiculous laws like forcing a woman to work is considered domestic violence.
Fathers are good for kids. I encourage all fathers to take a stand and spend as much time as you can with your kids, because you never now when you will lose that access.
In this day and age you have more chance of wrongfully losing access to your kids than you do of catching a cold.
For all those who wont see their kids on Sunday (it will be fatherless day again), my heart goes out to you. Stay strong.
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zac Reply:
August 31st, 2012 at 4:21 pm
yes yanta, glen, wes and others..it is tough having a childless father’s day…i’ve suffered that too..
.it’s never by a father’s choice and often not for punishment for a father’s actions, it’s more often to do with mother’s manipulation and lies….and the kids are not silly, they know who’s blocking who…even at prep age…
Be strong all you absent dads…write your own cards and letters for fathers day and deliver them to your kid’s schools..your kids will grow out of the absenteeism and will be back asking for advice and direction from their fathers ONE day…so make sure that you’re THERE for them…and in one piece.
This father’s day i’ve got a 16yo daughter 130kms away who might ring me (havent seen her for 7 weeks) and a 12 yo who’s off to an ‘all girl’ sleepover 20 kms away…. i’m spending quality time with my lovely lady….there are plenty still out there….so put on your happy faces whilst you’re child free and get out amongst it.
All the best, and always show your best. cheers
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I dont get to speak with my children and havent since March 2012. We live 8 houses from each other, however due to a BS AVO that keeps get adjourned everytime we enter the court room the ex has more time to continue her malicious mother syndrome, she suffers from. Outside of court she is a different person, however when we go to court she looks all hagged and poor me. To those Fathers who will see thier children on Sunday enjoy your time with them and have fun.
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Wes Reply:
August 30th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Maybe spend the day helping your kids by looking up the DSM-IV criteria for “borderline personality disorder,” and creating an envelope for each criterion for which you have evidence. The look up ‘recovery order’ in the family court website & consider if that might be good to file before the next AVO adjournment. You have to consider that the application might be affected by the filing of the AVO, but then if you can demonstrate the fact that process is being abused to intimidate and harass you might reverse the effect. Battle plans, Glenn, battle plans… and planning to free the hostages might be the best way to honour them. Good luck.
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I’m a dad who’s not even applied for several higher-paying jobs in the last year and half because it would mean moving hours away from the kids, and give the ex just the ammunition she needs to complete the alienation process she’s started. I’m making a lot less than I could be elsewhere, to keep up the interim alternate weekends in the hope of custody down the road, when the dust has settled. And yet, I’m accused of taking lower pay to dodge child support, hiding income with cash payments that I can’t possibly receive off the record, and now the CSA has rejected my actual financial figures and decided that I could be earning more so I should be paying as if I do earn it. It’s a lose-lose proposition that has nothing to do with the deadbeat myth…
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