by Tamra Thomason

Created on: June 07, 2008

The Dumbing Down of Dad

Do you remember the TV show "Father Knows Best?" Chances are your children don't. Over the ensuing decades since that and other shows of its generation went off the air, our society has slowly decided that dads, far from knowing best, are dumb and inept. Watch almost any commercial involving a family and you will see the father portrayed as the dork, the dummy, the embarrassing incompetent. Mom sometimes knows a thing or two, rolling her eyes at her blustering husband, but often is also portrayed as less "with it" than the kids. Watch any TV show aimed at tweens or teens. The kids are always cool and knowledgeable. Dad, and sometimes mom, is clueless and very un-cool. Dad is always doing something ridiculous, like wearing his daughter's cheerleading uniform, while the kids seem to have all the answers.

So what does this constant bombardment of media stereotyping teach our young people? The teenage brain already thinks that it knows all the answers. They think that parents can't possibly understand what they are facing. Instead of showing examples of turning to loving and wise parents with your problems, our current media reinforces the idea that kids really are the smart ones and can fend best for themselves. Is this one of the reasons that so many kids think that they are capable of making decisions regarding sex and alcohol consumption, ignoring the advice and warnings of parents?

One of the legacies of the Women's Movement of the 70's is that men are left feeling that they are unimportant as anything other than sperm donors. Women can "bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan." Young women often get pregnant and are taught that it's their "choice" whether to keep the baby, not the father's. Raising children as a single parent is no longer an unfortunate circumstance, but often a lifestyle choice. Men are constantly sent the message that they are not needed and not valued in the family. Are we so surprised then, that they so often are casual about their sexual affairs and abandon their families.

Our society would be far better off if we insisted that the media aimed at our children give a healthy balance of information about child and female empowerment, without stereotyping every male as a "doofus," not to be taken seriously. Science has confirmed that a father's love and guidance are important to the development and well-being of their children. Children's media could be used to reinforce the positive roles men should play in society and especially in their families. Young boys and girls would benefit from seeing models of good, responsible parenting, rather than laughable ineptitude. Maybe father doesn't always know best, but most dads deserve a great deal more respect for their experience, wisdom, and efforts.

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