Fatherhood communication: An initial investigation of source, context, and content of parenting messages for men

Today's fathers are being asked to increase their parenting responsibilities without proper training in how to be a father. This mandate without a map frustrates men and women alike and hinders proficient family functioning. Although parenting and parenting by fathers has been studied previously in the fields of psychology and sociology, little has been done within the field of communication to study how parenting duties are communicated to men. Memorable message research has proven valuable for determining how women learn the role of parenting. This study examined memorable messages fathers learned about parenting, the sources of those messages, and the contexts in which they were received. A qualitative research approach was used that involved in-depth interviews with fathers. Forty-six sources, 38 contexts, and 527 messages were identified by men in the interviews. Of the 527 messages revealed, only 67 were memorable verbal messages. Eleven ideals or beliefs about fatherhood were identified based on an analysis of the collective interviews. The study also revealed that religion may play a greater role in what fathers learn about parenting than previously thought. The results of the study suggested that further research that deals with what is communicated to parents about parenting may be fruitful.