Fathers Growing Closer to Kids in Pandemic, Survey Says They Started With Names and Have Worked Up to Hobbies

If anything, this pandemic has guaranteed that we’ve all spent a lot more time with our families than usual. Being quarantined in an apartment or house for three-plus months tends to do that. During this time, we’ve probably grown closer to our significant other while also learning about all of the terribly annoying things they do on a daily basis. Why does she eat her cereal like that? Is slurping necessary? Why does she feel the need to cut her toenails on the coffee table? If you have children, you’ve probably learned a lot about them, too. You might have even grown closer to them. Potentially you even learned their names.

According to a new study out of Canada, quarantine has made a better bond between fathers and children. Back in May, 1,019 Canadian fathers were surveyed by the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation about the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on their relationship with their children. What they found was that even though many fathers have been working from home, they had more time to actually spend time with their children.

We can only assume that many, after learning their children’s full names, are slowly working their way up to hobbies. Maybe by the end of this pandemic, they’ll finally understand why their kids have such an unbridled fear of the old lady who lives two doors down.

Forty percent of those surveyed said that the outbreak was a positive thing in terms of connecting with their children. Sixty percent feel they’ve become closer to their children. But, how long this lasts isn’t clear yet. We can only assume that when life goes back to normal these dads will return to calling their kids “that boy” or “that girl.”

Photo: 10’000 Hours (Getty Images)

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