Father Knows Best: The Ideal American Family

Playing catch with the football, father daughter dances, going to a baseball game, and learning to fish are all familiar father activities. The image of a traditional household has changed vastly over the years. Today we often see fathers who stay home and plunge themselves into their children’s lives instead of being the stereotypical breadwinner of the family. In our society the typical male breadwinner has been a main staple in films, television and books, however, the new idea of a stay at home dad is becoming a more prominent trend. With this being said: what is the best role in today’s society, the breadwinners or the stay at home fathers?
In many American families today we see the male as the breadwinner. The issue has become more widespread

“Iconic Jim Anderson from Father Knows Best returned from his insurance job every evening, removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to solve the problems of the family–crises that ranged from prom dates to homework to burnt pot roast.” (Forbes). Here we see the father role being played as society would have it, the man providing for the family and the woman staying home tending the children. Television shows of the 50’s and 60’s show the men assuming power in the relationship and women being more domesticated. Most men would prefer to work to put food on the table and provide the essentials rather than nurture children. When arriving home from a day of work many men would tend to want time to themselves, thus avoiding the children. When entering into marriage both the male and female have expectations about the roles they will play. Women highly expect for the male to maintain the financial part of the relationship, while the female take on the domesticated role. This is the way society has viewed families for centuries making it the “norm”. Children who have grown up watching television shows like “Father Knows Best” view them as role models to what healthy marriages look like and try to establish the structure in their own

Society has a whole must except these changes in order to better understand the role of the stay at home father. Today, we see family dynamics evolving into a more nurturing development through both parents. Fathers no longer have to be the breadwinner a lone, they have the option to be the caregiver. In the past fathers had a role to play that did not allow time for nurturing. In the article, Fathers at Home, Julie –Marie Strange writes, “When father did inhabit homes in the context of everyday life, they occupied specific space within it that underscored their paternal authority and status” (pg 705). Society’s aspects are about to change although many will not accept fathers becoming more involved with the upbringing of their