Fathers go further
Today's new fathers are playing a bigger role in pre- and post-natal activities. Many "rookie dads" are as anxious to care for their children as mothers.
That is the finding of a survey conducted earlier this year by the DDB Insights Springboard team.It discovered fathers of first children tend to cut down on personal spending, too. Most married men spend about 20 per cent of their income on themselves. But after the arrival of a child they scale down on expenses by a quarter to one-half. They achieve this by opting for less expensive items - going for non-brand-name clothing, for instance. The saved cash goes on things for the baby. Once a child arrives men behave and perceive their lives differently. They aim for more in life, living not only for themselves but also for their child. Many become more careful about planning for the future. They budget and become concerned about personal health and safety. One could say men experience a new kind of responsibility when taking on the role of father. The research indicates 82 per cent of respondents agree that today's fathers have closer relationships with their babies than those of earlier generations. Most first-time dads in the study said they reorganised their lives and time to spend more time with their children. The study tried to get a better understanding of the mind-set of today's men facing a new and challenging task as first-time fathers. The 200 Bangkok mothers and fathers in the survey all had first-born children aged three to 18 months. For decades children have been considered a woman's responsibility. Nowadays, fathers are becoming more responsible and caring. First-time dads respect the mother-child relationship but want the chance to participate more in child-rearing. Mothers are advised not to exclude fathers. In Western cultures fathers often take pre-natal course with mothers. Most Thai fathers acquire knowledge from family members. Apart from advice from elders many Thai fathers acquire child-rearing know-how from books. Today's fathers are "knowledgeable about child-rearing", according to 67 per cent of respondents. Despite much information available in many forms for rookie dads, advice from elders remains the most influential source of parenting today. Some first-time fathers are as fussy as women, the survey found. Being a parent of a newborn means being more accountable, more careful and more attentive. More than half the respondents agreed today's dads are more careful and selective about child-care products, too.
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