Gary and Shannon

Gary and Shannon

Listen to Gary and Shannon Weekdays 9 AM - 1 PM on KFI AM 640!Full Bio

 

Justin Worsham on parenting sons vs daughters, and the upside of 'dad bods'

Our good friend and Dad Podcast host Justin Worsham sent us an article from The Washington Post titled 'Dads need to give their sons the same nurturing they give their daughters.'

In it, writer Andrew Reiner argues that fathers are not giving their sons the same loving attention they give to their daughters. He writes:

"While researching my book about the crisis of resiliency facing boys and men, I sometimes watched online commercials. These advertisements that pitch razors, shampoo and soap aimed at the under-40 market offered clearer, more immediate context about contemporary masculine identity than many of the sources I pored over. Sometimes, I would ask my 9-year-old son to view them with me to get his thoughts.
After watching a few of these commercials, I noticed a disparity: Fathers wore tutus and danced with their daughters, polished their fingernails and showered them with hugs and kisses during graduations. Meanwhile, fathers raced Go-Karts or playfully arm-wrestled their sons and occasionally hugged — but didn’t kiss — them. My son observed: 'Why aren’t those daddies giving boys the same love they’re giving girls?'"

In our opinion this article swings the pendulum to the extreme opposite end of a father cracking down on his son. Of course children need love and attention, but there are other factors to think about when talking about any family.

Shannon pointed out that her mom was always tough on her, but her dad was always the easy going-type. There is not a one size-fits-all approach, and there's nothing wrong with kids having negative experiences.

Negative experiences can help! Gary, Shannon, and Justin all had varying thoughts on this topic. They also discussed a study that says fathers with 'dad bods' are perceived to be better fathers.

'Dad bod' guys are seen as more likely to be faithful, less dominant, and nicer compared to guys who are in shape. Appearances aren't always what they seem, but it led to a good talk. Check out our full two segments with Justin below!


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