Senior Paul Joye stands awestruck as his father pulls him closer and tightly hugs him. After going a full year without seeing his father, Joye embraces the moment of finally looking into his dad’s eyes since his departure earlier in the year.
Joye’s father leaves the country for years at a time due to his job as a diplomat. His father has been training officers in Saudi Arabia since the summer, and has also worked in places such as Iraq in the past.
“[Him being gone] helps us because it made a stronger relationship between my mom and I,” Joye said. “Of course the relationship with my dad could be stronger but his job makes him happy.”
According to jrf.org.uk the requirements parents’ jobs entail play a great role on the development of the child, especially in the early ages of their life. A study by John Ermisch and Marco Francesconi of the Institute for Social and Economic Research measured the impact on a child’s life due to time restrictions of the parents’ employment. The research led to results such as a more difficult time making A’s in school and a risk of the child experiencing psychological stress as an adult for a child who’s parents work full time and have time consuming jobs.
“I don’t think [a time consuming job] is necessarily a bad thing,” Joye said “[Parents] need to take care of their kids so they do what they have to do to support them.”
A study in 2004 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed parents with occupations such as a doctor or surgeon spend 60 hours or more per at work, yet in turn bring in a larger salary compared to the less time consuming jobs. Such jobs force the parent to choose between time with their family or a large income to support their family. Senior Kristen Tegze believes that how much time a parent spends with their child directly influences their life.
“Instead of parents influencing them its the people at school and their surroundings,” Tegze said. “Those aren’t always the best influences.”
Tegze’s father works as a Registered Nurse at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. His job requires him to work 12 hour days four times a week teaching the new employees skills they will need for the job. Tegze realizes her father’s job may be stressful at times, but herself and her whole family supports him completely.
“In our case I don’t think how time consuming his job is effects us,” Tegze said. “We spend a lot family time together but I can see how in other families it would be a big deal.”
Other students such as senior Billy Smith have at least one parent who stays at home, in Smith’s case his mother stays home while his father works.
“I believe parents who stay at home tend to have a stronger relationship with their children because they tend to communicate and see them more often,” Smith said.
