5 Characteristics Of Absent Parents
The presence of parents is essential for the well-being of children. Parental love, support, authority, and example are irreplaceable. For that reason, lacking any of these figures generates voids and wounds that persist even in adult life and affect people’s relationships, personality and self-worth.
The father has been wrongly given a secondary or antagonistic role in the family and the rearing of children. That role in which it is only enough to provide financial support. However, this way of seeing the father must change.
A study by the National Fatherhood Initiative outlines the cons of fatherlessness for children: affective, relational, social, economic, and even physical and mental health. The organization faces it as a problem of public interest that causes that country an annual cost of 100 billion dollars in social and educational programs to alleviate the paternal absence.
It must be borne in mind that sometimes parents are not there not because they do not want to, but because they are prevented, they have bad relationships with their ex-partner or, for example, if they are in the military or a doctor, they must be at the service of others and travel frequently far from home.
Mothers and society must give the father his rightful role in raising their children. In this way, we will be promoting parenting with responsibility and commitment. It is important that the father begins to see himself as essential in the lives of his children because he is ; and avoid these 5 characteristics of absent parents.
5 characteristics of absent parents
Workaholic
They are but they are not. They work up to 12 hours a day and only see their children for a few minutes : in the morning when they say goodbye to leave them at school and at night when they are already sleeping, so they cannot play or talk with them .
This type of absence is very common today. The material demand and the need to develop professionally put the family and the bond with the children at risk.
In this case, balance is the key. The quality of the timeshare could make up for the scarcity of moments. If you identify with this feature, try to make up for your absences with virtual presences such as calls, emails, family groups, instant messaging, social networks.
So you can have an interaction with your family. On weekends or the time you spend at home, try to disconnect from work, cell phone, emails and dedicate 100% to your children.
Lack of empathy
Yes. A physically or emotionally absent parent is one who does not feel empathy or has very little emotional connection with their children and the people around them. He is hedonistic and maintains superficial relationships, lacking depth.
These types of parents, in general, are not around their children because they do not want to. Paternity is alien to them and they flee from commitments. He does not act considering others nor does the healthy exercise of putting himself in the shoes of other people (partner or children).
These types of people generally flee from the responsibility of being parents or maintain weak emotional ties with their children, leaving the burden of parenting on the mother.
Emotional immaturity
This characteristic related to the lack of empathy is another reason why a man is absent and does not assume with love the commitment of being a father. Emotionally immature people find it difficult to relate, flee or fear commitments, establish toxic relationships.
It may happen that emotional immaturity is caused by some childhood or adolescent trauma or that insane roles are repeated such as that of the disinterested father in the care of his children.
Emotional maturity, like physical maturity, is reached. It is a state that allows you to be happy and have fullness, establish healthy and balanced relationships. The person without this quality is afraid to grow up and lives as if he were a teenager and does not know how to effectively express his emotions.
Irresponsibility
It is the father who is not aware of the maintenance of his son, of being there for his son in times of health problems and does not accompany him during his achievements. It just isn’t there. The irresponsible father is a machine of orphaned children. He is the man who even decides to ignore paternity or to question it in order to slip away from shared responsibility in raising a child.
Selfishness
The selfish father forgets that he owes in some measure to his children. He makes life plans without considering the opinion of his children or puts other priorities above his family such as sharing with friends or attending to work matters that could well wait.
