Is work easier than fatherhood?
08:20 30 October 2008
Many fathers now believe that going to work is easier than staying at home and looking after the children.
A study of 3,000 fathers showed a whopping 65% believe mothers have a much harder job raising the children.
And 62% of dads openly admit they enjoy going out to work as it gives them a much needed break from the kids.
The research cited that while fathers love their children, 70% are happy that mum is the main day-to-day carer.
Another night at the office
The survey carried out by parents club Bounty for its fathers website newdadssurvivalguide.com, revealed that 24% of men sometimes leave for work earlier than necessary, or return home later than necessary to reduce their time with the children.
Bounty's Managing Director, Ian Beswetherick, who is a father of two young children said: "Nowadays most modern dads are happy to share the responsibility of looking after the children and in doing so they now truly appreciate mums' hard work.
"The fact that dads are leaving for work early and not heading home to help with bath and bedtime can be also due to the pressures of working for old style 'dinosaur dads'.
"Traditionally supported by wives that stayed at home to raise their kids, these older dads hold senior positions and don't appreciate the fact that they employ a different kind of dad who is struggling to get to grips with combining his work with the expectations of modern fatherhood."
41% of fathers admit they get really stressed if they go straight home from work to a rowdy house full of children and despite the rise of the house-husband five in 10 fathers say there is no way they could take their partner's place as the children's main carer.
Emotional bond
The poll also showed that while 80% of dads fathers felt an instant rush of love the minute their baby was born, 27 per cent said it took them a lot longer to bond with their newborn than their partner did.
17% of men say they bonded with their new baby a couple of days after it was born, one in 10 said it took one week, and eight percent said it took a whole month before they finally felt close to their new tot.
One quarter of new fathers say they felt completely left out when their partner was pregnant, and this may be why they took longer to bond with their new baby.
But 55% attempted to get closer to their unborn child by stroking the bump, 44% spoke to the bump, 34% attended all ante-natal classes and one in 10 stopped drinking and smoking to keep their wife company.
Don't worry, be happy
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Ian Beswetherick of Bounty added, "New and expectant dads worry about asking the wrong thing at the wrong time, which is why newdadssurvivalguide.com offers a safe place to get the answers to new dad questions."
An astonishing two thirds of fathers admitted that when their partner was pregnant they were secretly hoping their first born would be a boy.
And 57% say they prefer boys over girls. That said, 30% of fathers have bonded better with their daughters than their sons, and 46% feel much more protective of their little girls.
In an ideal world, fathers would like to have two girls and two boys to complete their perfect family.