Projo Offbeat Blog

The devaluation of dad continued this week with the release of a survey from Salary.com claiming that a stay-at-home mom's work is worth $10,000 more annually than a stay-at-home dad's.
"Dad worth 10k less than mom," announced the headline on boston.com.
(And, if you haven't heard it already, here's more from the good news department: Dad usually dies first, too.)

Dads, don't let your family use this as an excuse to stiff you on Father's Day. You might not want breakfast in bed and a dozen roses, but 18-holes of golf and a case of beer wouldn't hurt.

The survey compared tasks done around the house by moms and dads, jobs like 'facilities manager,' 'van driver,' 'laundry machine operator' and 'cook.'

"We calculated the multiple jobs that make up the role of dad to highlight their contribution in the home and to compare the amount and value of their work to mom," said Meredith Hanrahan, chief marketing officer at Salary.com.

"The findings do indicate that while dad's worth is substantial, he is still playing catch-up to mom."

Sure, mom might make a mean chicken cacciatore and she probably even gets the whites whiter, but I'd like to suggest that dads, stay-at-home or not, have a unique set of job skills that bring immeasurable value to the home.

Here's just a few:
Intimidator: This is a role that usually falls to the father. I know it did when I was growing up, and my father was an ex-Marine. How many of us heard this? "Wait until your father gets home." It's nearly impossible to describe the importance this role plays in the safety of the children and the sanity of the household. Without dad's tales of boogey men under the bed or ghosts in the closet, kids would be wandering the house at night, falling down the stairs and interrupting mom and dad trying to watch the late movie. Sure, they might spend the night terrified with their eyes wide open, but at least they're in their beds.

Mouse stalker: I think it's safe to assume that most dads also take on this role. I've been fighting a mice war for years. If not for me, the house would be overrun, or my wife would have had to call in the exterminators in the space suits to wipe out Mickey and his friends. They'd solve the problem perhaps, but they might also scar the kids for life. Consider all the money the mighty mouse stalker saves on extermination bills -- and also on child psychologists.

Coach: Most guys, even if we couldn't hit a 70 mph. fastball, become experts on baseball by the time we're 35 and we try to impart our valuable wisdom to our kids. Consider this an investment. Sure, lots of kids end up playing no better than we did, or they end up hating baseball, but it takes just one $50 million contract to make this effort pay off big time.

So, happy Father's Day, dads. And, remember, even if you spend the day sitting on the couch, watching the U.S. Open and the Red Sox, you're making a valuable contribution to the household every time you get up for a beer or a snack. You're doing a great job cleaning out the refrigerator and the cabinets.

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