Dads are powerful role models.When I first saw the results of the Father's Day Index, a study conducted by Insure.com, my first reaction was, "Nice try, people." The study made wild assumptions of male and female roles around the house that probably came straight from a 1950s household manual and concluded that men are not as valuable as women around the house. I am sure men want us to think they are not very valuable -- hence, we won't expect much from them. This is even worse than when men pretend they can't do laundry, change diapers, or whatever else it is they wish to get out of. Nope, dads are valuable, and no study will tell me otherwise.
I almost don't want to say what the garbage-in-garbage-out figures from the study revealed, but I will for the sake of journalism: Dad's household contributions would earn him a paycheck of $20,248, but Mom's would garner a whopping $60,182 for what she does around the house. Interesting, but meaningless. Here are some highlights of what's wrong with this picture:
- The study concedes that both Dad and Mom drive the kids around, but why does Dad make only $12.03 an hour doing so while Mom makes $13.83, as is listed in Insure.com's Mother's Day Index?
- The same goes for homework. Apparently, Mom should be paid more for helping with that, too: $17.91 for Dad and $18.48 for Mom.
- Mom gets almost $20,000 a year in Insure.com's world for "taking care of the kids." Guess what Dad earns here? Nothing. Dad doesn't do that at all in this imaginary world.
- Dad does earn more for barbecuing than Mom earns for cooking -- $11.99 compared with $9.08 an hour. And that doesn't even make sense. Standing outside on a breezy summer evening flipping burgers with a brewski in hand is worth more than creating a balanced meal for the family over a hot stove. Really?
The "study" might be bogus, but the importance of dads is not.
Carleton Kendrick, family therapist and author of "Take Out Your Nose Ring, Honey, We're Going to Grandma's" said he is "concerned with the numbers of children growing up in fatherless families." He pointed out that the cost of fathers not being in the home is borne by the kids who suffer the consequences.
A paper published in the Child Welfare Information Gateway points out that "children with involved, caring fathers have better educational outcomes." The paper also states, " … children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections with peers."
And good news for Mom with a positive, involved Dad: If Dad treats Mom with respect, he raises boys who respect women, and he teaches girls how men should treat them. Dads are just as valuable as moms in my book.
