LEADERS
DIGEST
The Concept of Fathering BY JOSHUA HONG
In the context of Malaysia, we are familiar with terms like parenting, mothering. Yes, by definition it simply means the process or journey of raising a child and supporting the development of a child physically, emotionally, socially and even intellectually. However, when one is attending a parenting talk, the reason behind is usually related to a child’s education on how to get my child to perform better academically, or a child’s discipline issues such as ways to deal with my kid’s tantrums, communicate effectively with my teenage child, or the most popular topic recently – is my child addicted to the internet/ gaming, too much screen time especially during the COVID19 pandemic. And previously with the ‘old’ normal, 80 per cent of the attendees of these parenting talks were women and children. It actually almost makes us think that parenting is actually mothering! Or should the biggest misconception on parenting is that this is a mother’s job. Fathering? A rather unfamiliar word to many. What is fathering?
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Issue 41 I July 2020
There was a survey conducted to the public in Singapore 2009 on ‘The Role of a Father’ and the results are as follow: • Breadwinner (46%) • Emotional support for children (36%) • Handling Kids on a daily basis (3%) • Protect, nurture children and know their friends (1%) Well, I guess even a father himself thought that by providing to the family is already a job done as a father. I must say that being a good father is not easy because there is so much more. Dad is destiny! “Dad is destiny. More than virtually any other factor, a biological father’s presence in the family will determine a child’s success & happiness. – U.S. News & World Report, February 27, 1995, pg. 39” According to the review of Australian Evidence of the Impact of Fathering by Dr Stacey Waters and Dr Leanna Lester, some of the findings of this report are: • Father’s self-efficacy and warmth in parenting are the most powerful predictors of children’s improved health, academic, social and emotional outcomes;
