What children remember about their fathers

RECENTLY, my daughter’s teacher shared something in the class chat group that stayed with me. She had asked the children to talk about their fathers. We might expect young children to say things like “My father is strong”, “My father works hard”, or “My father plays with me”. But some answers were painful to hear.

One child said his father was “bad” because he bullied him. Another said his father took his money. One said his father kicked him. Others said their fathers only scolded, slept until noon, or spent all their time on the phone.