Study finds 62 per cent of Irish dads don’t feel comfortable talking about struggles

When it comes to the struggles that come with parenting it always good to have a shoulder to lean on.

A recent survey found that when it comes to discussing parenting troubles with friends it's still very much a mum to mum affair. When asked if they would talk to their friends about their parenting struggles over half of Irish dads said that they wouldn't. 62 per cent of Irish dads did not feel comfortable talking to friends about parenthood struggles with 40 per cent saying that it stemmed from a fear of being judged. The study also found that 56 per cent of Irish dads felt overwhelmed in their first year of parenthood with many stating that they found it hard to be a 'perfect parent'. Speaking about his own experience with parenting TV personality and dad, Baz Ashmawy said;

"It’s commonly known that Irish dads are not great at opening up about most things, but it is so important to talk about all the ups and downs in life and in particular being a parent."

A last year I wrote an article on the topic of dads needing a dad friend to fall back on for advice or simply to lend an ear when it all gets too much. In 2022 men shouldn't feel like their emotions aren't valid but unfortunately, the problem still persists and as the research shows most Irish fathers are struggling in silence.