... in the real world there are deadlines to meet, targets to achieve and bills to be paid. The pressure can be collosal. Many fathers are having to put in extra long hours just to hold on to their jobs, whilst others are experiencing the trauma of unemployment........but the sobering fact is that whatever our situation, many of us have the ability to create unnecessary busyness. It doesn't matter whether the demands of the job are great or small, or even if we have a job at all; we fill our lives with activity that robs us of time for things that matter.
When we live like that we are often popular outside the home. We are successful in our hobbies, honoured at work, and - to our friends - the very life and soul of the party. All of that would be fine apart from the fact that so often it leads to a day when we look back on the lost opportunity of parenthood with deep regret.
And the issues of over-busy lifestyles and work patterns are not just limited to men; women feel those pressures just as acutely. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that in cultures all across the globe we are seeing a crisis in the role of fatherhood.
(Intro, p13-14)
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