Kenia Bush Marriage and Family FHS 2400

04/21/2016

The Role of the Father

Question:
Most of our society seems to have a fairly consistent definition of the mothers role in
our society. If we asked the question What does a good mother do? most people
would give very similar answers. On the other hand, the role of a father seems
much less clear. Is the current change in the role of fatherhood better or worse for
men? For children? For mothers? Are there further changes in fathers roles that
should be made? What should be the role of the father in pregnancy, abortion, birth
and in parenthood?
Answer:

623 words

So what are the expectations of mom we seem to have to be nurturing and

bring home the bacon, keep home clean, remember where the clothes are after we
wash them and we wash them because we dont want them some hideous color. We
remember birthdates, anniversary dates, drop kids off pick them up. We prepare
Sunday school lessons. We wake the house up in the morning and try to make sure
everyone gets out of the house on time. I could go on forever but wait its not about
mothers, but what arent we expected to do. Hows that for What does a good
mother do? May the first question should be, what doesnt a good mother do? But
enough about us mothers its supposed to be about the roles of fathers.
The role of a father you will say is much less defined, in the text book it
starts out (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p.368) Of course, culture expectations of fathers
are much broader and deeper than that, and fathers today participate more than
they did in the past in a broader range of child care activities. in our home my

Kenia Bush Marriage and Family FHS 2400

04/21/2016

The Role of the Father

husband has defined his role a little more than other men. He is more nurturing
than most helps around house at the same time he fixes cars, works a full time job,
picks up and drops off the children at school. Society seems to try to dictate the roles
of moms and dads but in an ever-changing economy the economy seems to dictate
how mother and fathers must work together or interact with each other they
exchanging roles in the family. Those who cannot adopt to the changes seem to fall
to divorce or poverty or never marry because the expectations are too much for
them.
You place the question Is the current change in the role of fatherhood better
or worse for men? For children? For mothers? The question states as if all families
are the same but to the contrary they are not. Some still live in the 19 th century my
husband works with some men who are still the bread winner and the wife stays
home. Employers still under pay the women and if the family fails the mother is still
looked at first as an instigator. But back to the question at hand. I would think and
hope that the more involved fathers in their children the better off the family as a
whole.
The children are better off and the mothers too. To prove my point I would
like to use my personal family as an example. I watch as my husband spends time

Kenia Bush Marriage and Family FHS 2400

04/21/2016

The Role of the Father

with my daughter in her studies and reading and she comes to expect it. She
watches him cook and clean and sees it as normal. I hope she will look for a
nurturing man someday like her father who is setting an example as what to look
for in a man. When my husband helps with the duties that are expected of the
mother it frees up my time so that I can go to college and improve myself.
My husband believes that women should be educated and self-sustaining
because he jokingly states that men are bastards and leave one way or another. He
talks about his own personal experience where his father who was the only bread
winner in the family and died in a car accident leaving his mother who had not even
finished high school and not much in the way of job experience and five children
pretty much left them in poverty.
To sum up, yes the more involved the father in the improvement of the family
unit the better off the family. As far as pregnancy, abortion and birth I think that is
a personal matter between husband and wife and not society. The father gets
involved as much the wife will let him its still her body and she should have the
final say on these matters.

Kenia Bush Marriage and Family FHS 2400

04/21/2016

The Role of the Father

Reference:
Strong, B & Cohen, T. F. (2014). The Marriage and Family experience:
Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society (12th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth