Father figures with practical, handy skills are being lost to today’s "disposable automated culture," according to a leading child psychiatrist.
Speaking ahead of Father’s Day, Dr Colman Doctor questioned whether the traditional male family figurehead that takes on the DIY and maintenance around the home is a thing of the past.
On Newstalk Breakfast he said his own father was constantly fixing things and maintaining the home – even though he was never professionally trained.
He said many modern fathers have not picked up the same practical skills, even if they are arguably more advanced in other ways.
"Maybe the old dads get a bit of bad press – maybe there's something that's been lost in that," he said.
"My Dad always had a toolbox and he was fixing things every Saturday, Sunday when he wasn't working."
Present day
Dr Colman said he remembers his father mending leaking tanks in the attic or tinkering with the television.
"I compare that to me now, and if anything goes in the house here I'm useless," he said.
"The only thing I can do is call somebody – I have no skill.
"If the lads bring me something that needs to be unscrewed, I have to remind myself of 'righty-tighty, lefty-loosey'.
"With the exception of my peers who work in carpentry or working physical trades, I think most of us would be pretty much the same.
"My friend said to me, 'My Dad doesn't even trust me to hold the drill' and he's in his 40s."
Skills transfer
Although his father did not work in a practical trade, Dr Colman said he had "organically" learned how to carry out DIY.
"He wasn't a carpenter and loads of my friends' fathers would have been the same, but they had this ability to do it," he said.
"We live in a very disposable automated culture now, so if the TV's broke, we throw it out and get a new one.
"Whereas we had clothes hangers and were hanging out windows and everything to try and get signals, and it was only when that wouldn't work that we changed things."
'Unspoken love'
Dr Colman said his idea of a father growing up was someone who would "provide, protect and discipline."
"I just felt we do glamorise the modern dads for doing all this stuff," he said.
"But the old guy guys did nothing wrong – I feel like I grew up feeling very loved throughout my life.
"There were just elements of an unspoken 'I got your back here', even though that wasn't said and I would say a lot of my generation hopefully feel the same.
"I think we do say we have to be saying things all the time – some people are not good at saying things and the feelings and the emotions.
"But there are ways that we can convey that more comfortably."
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