Today’s post is about … dads. I loved my dad, depended on him for everything in my young life, miss him a lot in my adult life, and I believe he deserves the honour of a post. My husband is a wonderful dad, so this post honours him also.
I collected some Fun Facts from here all of which seemed interesting to me.
“Approximately 52% of fathers say they are the primary grocery shoppers in the family, an increase of 10% from 1995. Additionally, 11% of moms research the products they buy compared to 24% of dads.”
Wow, I must admit, the “additional” fact surprised me. I’ve always thought mothers, and women in general, are more prone to research foods and nutrition. Is it the father-role that brings about this change in men? Or is my initial assumption wrong and twisted by the fact that men are usually quieter about their health habits?
The first fact – that fathers do the shopping more often than mothers, is true for both my families. My father was the primary shopper, and my husband is in the same role now. More patience for the supermarket queues, more physical power to carry heavy bags – just part of the advantages they have.
“A new study shows that fathers who share household chores with their wives tend to have more ambitious daughters as well as daughters with more broad definitions of gender roles.”
That definitely hits home with me. My dad took as much care of chores as my mom. They cooked together and did the dishes. That really taught me that women’s place is not in the kitchen. My father told me that a woman is not a cook, cleaner, washer and household utility. Whenever I visited a friend and saw fathers sitting in front of the TV, while mothers were cooking and serving food, I felt awkward. When I grew up to have boyfriends, I found out I hadn’t learned to behave in the “proper” way a girl should. I expected my boyfriend to share the chores with me.
“When fathers are involved in their child’s education, the children perform better in school, learn more, and exhibit healthier behavior.”
Hm, I don’t know. I was always very good at school and my father encouraged me in a meaningful way. On the other hand, my mother usually motivated me by threats and insults. Still, I don’t know if the statement above is true since my brother wasn’t very good at school. He is very intelligent, in fact, much smarter than me. Yet, school wasn’t his thing.
The world’s oldest “Father’s Day card” is a 4,000-year-old Babylonian tablet that a young boy named Elmesu carved to wish his father a long life and good health.
Well, this is just an interesting fact. I’m glad children thought lovingly of their fathers in those times, too.
We have to admit it: Fathers rock!