Does Dad need a Job?  YES!

Another common belief amongst father researchers is the importance of an occupation to a man. For once, I agree with the research that is out there on this topic. One of the most important element of physical fathering is having a job. When boys grow up, they often look for a well paying job so that they can provide for their families. When a man loses his job it is often very detrimental to him.

I have been involved in various conversations with young men about what they want to do when they grow up. Most of these young men will often comment that they would like to be a doctor or a lawyer, or a CEO of some major company. When I ask them why, they often say it is because they want to be able to provide for their families. They will often give up jobs that they would like doing in order to pursue a job that pays well. For example, I know a young man who would be an excellent band teacher, and has even considered pursuing that career. However, when it came down to the real decision of what to major in, he chose pre-med, because he knew that one day he would have to feed a family.

On a more personal note, when men lose their jobs it becomes very difficult for them to really know who they are. This last May I found out that I was going to lose my job. I had plenty of notice to find a new job, but unfortunately, I have not been able to find anything that really taps into the skills that I have been educated in or that I would enjoy.

If you ask my wife how this has effected me should would probably say tremendously. I have gone through a lot of transitions these past couple of months. Including contemplating starting a business on the Internet to going through a major career change. It has been very difficult for me to accept the loss of employment, because I want to provide for my family. Fortunately, I have Student Loans to live off of, and a still have some good prospects for some jobs. I haven’t attempted any of these major changes in life, but I haven’t completely eliminated those options either.

Having a job is not the only element of being a good father, but I honestly feel that it is an important element. I also do not feel that a job cannot be important to a women. I just know that when I lost my job, I was devastated, because I couldn’t be the provider for my own family, instead, I had to rely on someone else to take over a very important role for me.

Physical fathering entails many different elements, and they all are important, but one of the most important elements for a father is having a job, because without this job one cannot provide many of the necessary physical things that a child needs.

Source: Four Fold Fathering
Travis R Grant