Jorge Rivera October 26, 2009

English Course/Dr. Tagirova

Final Essay-Beyond the Cult of Fatherhood by David Osborne

It is common today, that members of many modern families in America spent more time outside their homes. This can be seen where both husband and wife are most of the time at their respective works, forced to choose between spending time with their duties as parents and the responsibility of their professions. David Osborne in his essay, Beyond the Cult of Fatherhood, projects how difficult it is to be a professional and a parent because of the social responsibilities that both implies, a wife’s inadequate fulfillment of her motherhood, and the attention that a child requires. This will be shown by analyzing his conflict between his personal and labor life.

Looking first at the traditional father, the type that dedicates almost all of his time to work, is most of the time outside the house bringing the money used for the sustain of his wife and children, while the main character of David Osborne’s essay is a completely different type of father. This auto claimed “nontraditional father” is a journalist that is most of the time at his house, taking care of his son Nick and doing also all the chores, all because his wife is a very busy resident in obstetrics and gynecology. For instance, the author reflects the restlessness of this father by arguing, “… I’ve trying to keep a journal as Greene did, and it’s impossible.” (Page 248, topic 32). When looking at this example, there is no doubt that being both parent and a professional demands excessive responsibility and hard