Fathers, Finances, and Family Work

 Happy (almost) St. Patrick's Day!! It's time to talk about the three F's: fathers, finances, and family work. Specifically, a father's role within the family, what family work is and the effects it leaves on the family, and finances in family life. When it comes to money and income, do you have the luck of the Irish? Sorry I had to do it. 

What is the role of a father in a family? What influence do they have on the family? The role of a father in a family is obviously different from that of a mother's role. Fathers are usually the provider of the family, earning the most income from working. Mothers typically focus more on nurturing the child and focusing on their emotions. Fathers tend to focus on getting them out into the world, giving them more of a "tough love." Looking back on my childhood, whenever I was feeling sad or upset about something, I would typically go to my mom for a shoulder to cry on and/or advice. She, of course, would validate my feelings and try to make me feel better. If I had a question

about something I didn't know how to do or wanted help with, I would go to my dad. He would provide me with a more realistic view of life and showed me that all these things I was learning were preparing me for life. I think that even though the roles of a father are different, they are much needed! Who then, is in charge of the finances in a family?

When it comes to money, most of us probably want that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, that is not realistic for most families. Almost every person struggles financially at some point in their life. What influence does finance have on the family? What influences does the family put upon work and financial demands? Finance usually has a tremendous influence on a family because you need money to live. It puts a lot of stress on the husband and wife to be able to provide for their family. In fact, around 70% of divorces result from financial concerns. To bring in more money, couples will try to receive a dual income just to make ends meet. I feel there is an abundant amount of pressure for women to have a career/job, as well as raise a family. 

For me, I find that my family, friends, and society, in general, expect me to be more than a housewife and mother to my future children. I remember this one day in high school when my friend group was having a conversation about what we wanted to do in the future and what career path we wanted to go down. When it was my turn to share, I said that I do want to go to college and earn a degree, but more importantly, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mother for my kids as they are growing up. One of my friends said something along the lines of, "You know that's not a real job right Caitlin? It's not practical. You need to have a real job." That really hurt me because I believe that being a mother is a full-time job. My education is more to me than just making money and getting a job. 

Work is more than just having a 9 to 5, there's such a thing called "family work." Family work is the everyday, normal, work that sustains life. Some of these include vacuuming, taking out the trash, doing laundry, and dishes, making food, taking care of the sick, etc. These daily tasks make up the work a family does on a daily basis. These chores give families the opportunity to work together and show one another their love and respect for each other. 

I hope you enjoyed my little rant about the family (as usual) and I hope you took something away that's worth more than any pot of gold. See you next week!