OFW: Overseas Father's Work

One of the greatest challenges to a father’s involvement in the lives of his children and family is his ability to manage the demands of work and home. On one hand, men are encouraged to be an important part of their families. On the other hand, men are held to the expectation that family will not interrupt work. Because of this seemingly unsolvable conflict, fathers are in quite a bind. And while working women long ago established entire institutions to help them deal with this, men today are left to fend for themselves.

Photo above: taken during my eldest

brother's graduation at UPV-Miagao.
My younger brother, Christian, isn't in
this photo because he was in Manila
during that time.

They are still the exception rather than the rule. My dad is an engineer abroad. He works for a Japan-based company and moves from places to places each and every time. He is presently working in Doha, Qatar. He has been working so hard ever since my eldest brother was born. In fact, we only see him every six months for 15 days each vacation. Yet, his absence, indeed, made us grow fonder. His presence is felt everywhere. He is my first boy friend, my Superman, my father-- such words with great weight.

Driven by a desire to be more hands-on dads than their own fathers or because they were raised by mothers who went back to work themselves, men today are increasingly keen to share parenting responsibility. Today’s father, for the most part, still indulges in sports and barbecues but he also savours the memories he makes with his family-- an opportunity that was never truly afforded his own father or his father’s father. This Father’s Day and every day, give Dads the support they deserve.

You see, fathers are so much more important than they are given credit for. Their involvement has a direct influence on a child-- good or bad. And they deserve more responsibility than they are given. However, a father’s involvement seems to largely depend on how much the mother lets the father participate. Men tend to be more involved in raising their children when they have a harmonious, stable and satisfying marital relationship and when they feel encouraged by their wife to participate more in caring for and in raising their children.

Father’s Day represents a milestone in our home. The absence of my father has presented a challenge, but it does not diminish his importance in our lives. Mom won't let it. My sibs won't let it. WE will NEVER let it.

Happy Father's Day, Papa. I miss and love you.

To your dads (especially those whose fathers work far from home too), Happy Father's Day! :)