THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 20, 1996 TAG: 9606200565
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: 54 lines
How interesting to be on the road on Father's Day and listen on talk show radio stations to a running critique of his misbehavior.
Can you imagine callers complaining about Mother?
They send Mom nice cards on Mother's Day, give her roses, and spell out her name in song as they list her virtues, starting, ``M is for the million things she gave me!''
``The United States is the world leader in fatherless families,'' the host noted.
Mostly the exchanges among callers hailed a transition for men and women with roles overlapping.
``Now I'm as much responsible for the home as my wife is,'' a father said. ``It makes me feel multidimensional.''
Another told of finding himself the only male at a PTA meeting.
``How's your ego?'' the host asked.
``Not too bad,'' he replied.
A military man, retired at 53, is caring for grandchildren while his wife continues in her job.
``Vietnam was much easier,'' he said.
A wife, whose husband is in jail, longed for a way to spur their son to improve a poor report card. Have him send his father the card and promise to raise the grades on the next one, she was advised.
Another passage dealt with a brokerage firm urging its management to give men as well as women time off during home emergencies.
A father told of how outraged he felt when ordered to work overtime and find a baby sitter to cover trouble arising at home.
Another father lamented a daily workload from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. that left scant time for his family.
``If you feel the company cares about you, you care about the company,'' he said.
A corporate officer said that employees find a greater commitment to work if they have full lives outside their jobs.
But it takes time, maybe as much as 25 years, he said, ``to create a new work culture through the management ranks. It's not a revolution, it's an evolution.''
There was one notable male outburst against the conduct of women.
A young fellow remarked that four single women had formed a baby-sitting circle among themselves so they could have a night out at no cost.
``That was the right thing to do,'' the host observed.
``I joined,'' he said. ``But when my turn came to go out, they charged me a fee, divided it among themselves, and made me pay a dollar for each minute I was late in coming home.''
I laughed aloud at his wounded tone and at the mothers massing to penalize him after centuries of servitude for so many women.
Driving along, listening, you could hear America changing. by CNB