For a long time, we knew nothing more than what we saw in our own homes, and the families we saw on T.V. The families on sitcoms were perfect. They met all the criteria: a domestic mother, a working father and kids who would rough around a little bit, but always knew their values. A Dad's role was to be the breadwinner, to keep his kids in line and a roof over their head. End of story. This stereotypical typecasting of this “Father” was molded by T.V shows and therefore puts pressure on families to fit this mold. Here's a “perfect” example of a Dad:
Mr. Ward Cleaver...
“us men are better at the rugged type”
So, a man must work, but when he gets home, he takes care of the “manly” business. But what if a man does not? Is he not a good father? Is he abnormal? Why is this our normal?
Because now a new wave of fathers is coming and could be redefining what it means to be the father of a household. The number of stay at home fathers increased by 50% from 2003-2006.
As says the American Psychological Association, “increasing rates of divorce and remarriage, and childbirth outside of marriage have resulted in a transition from traditional to multiple undefined roles for many fathers. Today’s fathers have started to take on roles vastly different from fathers of previous generations”
These ideals of how a family should look and act were strangling families. Finally, things are taking a turn. The modern day father is more affectionate, is more likely to stay home, and help with domestic activities. Yet this could still be considered taboo.
The non traditional is becoming the norm.
So why do these traditions still exist?
I think that very much how it is with any societal trend, value, or common belief, in order for it to change there must be a significant amount of human action and time. As an example, for years it was beyond taboo for gay men and women to come out of the closet and accept who they were. New Trier graduate and black-and-white movie star Rock Hudson was gay, yet kept the facade alive that he was a heterosexual heartthrob for years.
ReplyDeleteThe saying goes that "times are changing", and like in the Bob Dylan song, there is nothing we can do about that fact. It is significant to note, however, that the times only change because of a changing generation. Reform always comes with a young generation, and as they grow up, the society encounters a paradigm shift. Current day parents are in that gray area where some were raised with more olde tyme traditions that feel most comfortable to them and some were raised more progressively. More and more people our age, though, will grow up and spawn a new generation not much like our grandparents' on this issue of filial responsibility because over time, people's opinions change and oftentimes more freedom is allowed.