PassageAThinkAboutItReadAboutItTalkAboutItWriteAboutIt1.Doyouthinkfathersareasimportanttochildrenasmothersare?Whyorwhynot?2.What’stheimageofa“goodfamilyman”?3.Aworkingfatherasafamilybreadwinnerisoftentoobusytotakecareofhisfamily.Nowpeoplehaveanegativeimageoftheworkingfather.Whatdoyouthinkofthe“workingfather”?ReadAboutItLanguagePointsContentAwarenessLanguageFocusTheUnsungHeroes:WhatAboutWorkingDads?Onourfirst“date”afterourtwindaughterswereborn,myhusbandandIwenttoseethemovieToyStory.Weenjoyedit,butafterwardmyhusbandasked,“Wherewasthedad?”Atfirst,itseemedpettytocriticizeanentertainingfamilymoviebecauseofonesmallpoint.ThemoreIthoughtaboutit,however,themoreglaringanomissionitseemed.Notonlywasdadnotaround,hewasn’tevenmentioned—despitethefactthattherewasababyinthefamily,sodadcouldn't'thavebeenthatlonggone.Itwasasifthepresence—orabsence—ofafatherisaminordetail,notevenrequiringanexplanation.Thisisonlyoneexampleofthemediatrendtowardmarginalizingfathers,whichmirrorsenormoussocialchangesintheUnitedStates.DavidBlankenhorn,inhisbookFatherlessAmerica,referstothistrendasthe“unnecessaryfather”concept.Wearebombardedbystoriesaboutthestrugglesofworkingmothers(asopposedtonon-workingmothers,Isuppose).Meanwhile,Ahighproportionofmediastoriesaboutfathersfocusonabusivehusbandsordeadbeatdads.Itseemsthattheonlytimefathersmeritattentioniswhentheyarecriticizedfornothelpingenoughwiththehousework(aclaimthatIfinddubiousanyway,becausethedefinitionof“housework”rarelyincludescleaningthegutters,changingtheoilinthecarorotherjobstypicallydonebymen)orwhentheydie.Whenareapplaudedwhileat-homemothersandbreadwinnerfathersaregivenlittle,ifany,culturalrecognition.Theverylanguageweusetodiscussmen’sroles(i.e.,deadbeatdads)showsalackofappreciationforthemajorityofmenwhoquietlyyetproudlyfulfilltheirfamilyresponsibilities.Wealmostneverheartheterm“workingfather,”anditisrarethatcallsformoreworkplaceflexibilityareconsideredtobeformenasmuchasforwomen.Oursocietyactsasiffamilyobligationsarenotasimportanttofath