Stage Father

Fathers of today's generation are becoming more involved in their children's academic life. Unlike fathers of older generations, modern-day fathers find time to be present in the school activities of their kids or help their children in their assignments.

To give you an example, just recently, one of my colleagues in the office , Resty, took a one-day vacation to attend the Family Day in his kids' school. Another officemate, Ren, would take time off his busy work schedule so he could attend his daughter's activity in school. I myself would always be present in important school presentations or contests of my two schooling children to give them moral support.

I don't know if my two officemates share the same reason as mine why they get involved in their children's school life as we haven't really discussed it openly. As for me, I don't want my children to experience what I had experienced when I was in elementary and high school that my father, actually even my mother, had not attended any of the school activities where their presence was needed, except of course during Recognition Day when both of them would really find time to be present to pin medal on me.

I envied my classmates then whose parents or even just their mothers were present during school programs or PTA meetings. Don't get me wrong, though. I did not harbor any grudge against my parents for not being able to attend most of our school activities as they were busy making a living for me and my other siblings. For a poor family like us, making a living was always the top priority for my parents than attending school programs or meetings.

That's why today's children are very fortunate for having fathers like us who would go out of our way to attend their activities in school. Our involvement is an affirmation of our love for our children and our way of fulfilling our role in shared parenthood. After all, parenthood is not the sole province of mothers.