A Tribute for Father's Day- An article called Dad's dilemma

This is actually a very old article i wanted to post since exactly 2 months ago. Since i still could find time or be bothered to do it, i'll just use it as a article to look at post father's day. Below are some interesting things i have found. I wanted to write on my opinions, but i am too lazy. :-p so read it its a very good article on fathers. I would say, i would feel that i will be the kind of the father that will rather spend most of his time with his child than working unless i need to. What could be more important than spending time with your kids and ensuring that, by God's grace, them being a faithful servant to the Lord? :-p Click on the title to go to the article. =)

"You have savings plans. You have vacation plans. But how many of you have a parenting plan?"

"The effects of this physical or emotional absenteeism are actually quantifiable: numerous academic studies have shown that children with distant fathers score lower on tests of empathy, reasoning and brain development than those whose fathers are more involved. The former behave more aggressively, don't get on as well with siblings, tend to be less popular in school and are more reluctant to take responsibility for their misbehavior. In 2002, the U.S. National Center for Policy Analysis concluded that kids with physically absent fathers were up to three times more likely to use drugs and engage in criminal behavior. Last month, an Israeli study reported that children with absent fathers were more likely to have trouble forming new relationships, whether the absences were permanent or shorter term. When children reach school age, Australian psychologist Paul Amato found, fathers are even more important to self-esteem than mothers."

"Not surprisingly, the more involved the father, the smarter and better adjusted kids tend to turn out. A 1993 Harvard study showed that the amount of time a father spends with his children can actually affect their ability at math, and that children whose fathers encourage them in sports are more successful in their adult careers. Other researchers have found that children who were fathered well are more tolerant and socially responsible as adults."

"Multitasking and an accelerated workflow present other challenges for the single-task-oriented male brain."

"But unlike their fathers, Asian men today face an epoch-shifting change: the entry of women into the workforce. Having two incomes has brought economic benefits to countless families, and given women rich opportunities for fulfillment, but it has left men scrambling to become the fully fledged co-parents their wives now need them to be. In fact, many men are experiencing, for the first time, the conflicting pulls of career and home that have long bedeviled working women. These overstretched fathers are still getting used to the idea that they're no longer excused from taking on a wider family role. Increasingly, they are "sharing more housework with their spouses, such as buying groceries, picking up the kids from school, changing diapers and feeding the babies,"

"At IBM in Singapore, 70% of the 3,000 mostly male employees regularly participate in the firm's "mobility program," which lets them work from home as long as they can be contacted via e-mail or phone. In addition, fathers are allowed to work 22 half-days in every six months if they use that extra time for family purposes."

"runs two websites for fathers, publishing articles with titles like "Let's Master the Three Categories of Housework." But not so long ago, he says, he was a living anachronism—the kind of father who "couldn't cook or do any kind of housework." He decided to change when he realized that he no longer wanted to depend on his wife's ministrations. So, Endo began to teach himself how to become a modern male, juggling the demands of his home and his business. Endo's discovery: "You can handle it as long as you're ingenious about the time you do have."

"Cheerfully dealing with myriad commitments, being smart about your time, and accepting that being a parent means being responsible for both the material and emotional welfare of your children: this is the new way of Asian fatherhood. Gentlemen, does it remind you of anyone? But of course. "Women are doing it," says Endo. "So why can't we?"