by More from What in the World!
The six-year-old son of a New York Times op-ed columnist recently asked his father, “Why are dads on TV so dumb?” His columnist dad grew up “with the omniscient fathers” of sixties television. So he was struck by his son’s question. “We spend twice as much time with our kids as we did two decades ago,” he says, “but on television we’re oblivious (Jimmy Neutron), troubled (The Sopranos), deranged (Malcolm in the Middle) and generally incompetent (Everybody Loves Raymond).
Even if Dad has a good job, like the star of Home Improvement, at home he’s forever making messes that must be straightened out by Mom.” One study even found that “fathers are eight times more likely than mothers to be portrayed negatively on network television.” (6/18/05)
Does this say something big about what our culture thinks about fathers? Characterizations of dads falls into one of two categories. They are either deadbeats, people who hurt mom, or they are idiots that are clueless. I think we miss the days of “Father Knows Best”, “Leave it to Beaver” and other traditional shows.
Always remember though, the father that a child lives with is the best earthly example they have. Don’t underestimate the power you has a father to influence your child for good, and don’t forget that you, as the father, are responsible alone to God for how your family does.
