I’m not talking about stay at home dads, here. I’m talking about the type who do some sort of work from home or work in an office. The guy in this article is a writer, and he’s shared his experience in this CNN article. But I couldn’t help wondering that if a mom would be writing the same article, would it get the same attention?

The thing is, balancing work and family is tough for anyone. The writer of this article believes that there is a double standard out there, where dads seem to get the short end. He says, “if a mom leaves the office in time to be home for dinner, she’s seen as an equally good mom and employee. But if a dad doesn’t want to stay late, he’s viewed as lazy or not a team player.”

Personally, I couldn’t disagree more. In today’s corporate culture, parents are expected to have lives outside of work. As in: both mom and dad. I worked in a construction office in which I was one of four women. The entire office was guys, and when “dad” had to leave at 5:00 to get home for the kids, not an eye was batted. As the lone single in the office, however, I was the one expected to put in the long hours because I didn’t have a family.

What’s your thought on this topic? Is there a double standard when it comes to dads?

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Working Dads: Unfair Treatment?

“If parents model good relationship skills, as well as good parenting skills, then children are likely to learn these and reproduce them in their own adult relationships.” — Paul Amato, Professor of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University

Growing up, I was taught to believe that this kind of thinking was true. My mother would tell me to never choose a man who came from a broken family. You have to understand that in my country and during those days, being part of a broken family was highly unconventional.

I reckon I still believe that whatever kind of relationship you have with your parents will directly reflect how you will conduct yourself in a relationship. And yea, I still believe that parents are our primary role models because they are the closest set of people who display the relationship that you will have one day.

However, there are certain things that I am now aware of, which I believe we need to be considerate about. Sure, children who have divorced parents or who grew up in a highly unstable family environment can turn out to be such a mess and perhaps, become one of destructive kind of individuals. However, even if studies can support such generalisations, I believe that stereotyping them will not be helpful.

They still have the same needs as any other person. Okay — they may bring a baggage or two but that doesn’t make them all bad. You can think about their admirable traits like, their will to survive, their strength to move forward, or their courage to start a family of their own.

But I understand the need for you to protect yourself from such individuals, of course. I also understand that it will require a lot more work on the relationship but I happen to think that these individuals have an extraordinary love in them to compensate you in risking or troubling yourself in going into a relationship with them, loving them.

If you found out that a guy or a girl came from a broken family, will you continue seeing him or her? Or Will you fear the possibility of history repeating itself?

Post from: Blisstree

Good Parenting Equals Good Relationships