Where has fatherhood gone?

How much time do you think the average father spends with his children? Give it some thought? It is four hours a day? One hour? Ten minutes?

Well, I was surprised to read of a recent study in America which showed that the typical American father spends just 37 seconds a day with his children. That's right, not even one minute per day.

What effect does this have on the growing child? A typical family in America has an absent father, perhaps a hard-working father. They don't have a father who is available and in touch with their children. In such families, the children grow up without really getting to know their father -and vice-versa. No-one knows anyone. It is, in effect not a family at all.

Is it not time that working lives were arranged to spend more time with one's family? Would it not be better if an average father spent hours per day with their children, instead of seconds?

I think the price of materialism is too high. The seeking after material prizes leads to long working hours in stressful jobs and little time left for the children. Perhaps it is time to seek immaterial rewards - perhaps the simple but profound rewards of seeing one's children smile, laughing with them, or just hearing them talk about the world.

I, for one, am glad that my time with my children is rather more extensive than a typical case.

I will endeavour to ensure that it is always the case.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

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