I may have missed it. After all, I didn't watch much of the Olympics. But what I did see was disturbing, and fits a disturbing pattern in the world today.
Who did the athletes often thank in their interviews? Their mothers. Who did one commercial sponsor feature frequently and prominently? The moms.
Not that it's wrong to remember the encouragement and inspiration given the athletes by their mothers. It's impossible to go over the top in honoring the maternal efforts and sacrifices made for the next generation.
But what about fathers?
We've gone from Father Knows Best to Father Knows Nothing. And that's disturbing for two reasons.
- It's wrong. It's untrue. Was your dad the foolish, bumbling, absent, or abusive father portrayed in sitcoms and on the news? Does your husband deserve to be the inexhaustible staple of comedic routines? We're allowing a few bad examples to distract us from the overwhelming evidence that today's fathers are engaged, supportive, and wise leaders in their children's lives, on an almost unprecedented level. If their involvement is not exactly the same as a mother's, that is as it should be: children thrive best under the different kinds of wisdom and nurturing that come from the male and the female perspectives.
- It's foolish. Even if there are some legitimate concerns about the state of fatherhood, repeatedly telling someone how bad he is will more likely have bad effects than good. Fatherhood is difficult, sacrificial work; if a man's efforts are repeatedly met with denigration and derision, how long can a human be expected to persevere before giving himself up for lost?
Without taking anything away from the heroic efforts of mothers, let's not forget to give fathers their due. They deserve much better than they are receiving at our hands. Our children deserve better, also: They need to be able to look up to their dads, and they need dads they can look up to. Neither goal is served by belittling half of their parentage.
You certainly had a Dad to look up to, one who did a lot with you, taught you, and was a great example. You were blessed.
Thanks! You forgot to include the Berenstain Bears along with the sitcoms and newsreels. Papa Bear's overconfidence and ineptitude really rub me the wrong way, especially compared with Mama Bear's wisdom and competence.
Absolutely true, Ruth! They don't come any better than my dad. Plus he took me mountain climbing. :)
Right you are, Stephan, about the Berenstain Bears. There are others just as bad, though I can't recall them at the moment. On the other hand, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series manages to convey terrific love and respect for fathers, even though they hardly appear in the stories at all. But then, they were written in the 1930's.
