What about now?
Three Ewha students, Lee, Yoon Chae-eun (Division of Humanities and Foreign Language & Literature, 1) Kim Won-kyung (Division of International Studies, 2) and the reporter, gathered to have a heart to heart talk about their fathers.
Reporter: We all had happy moments with our dads when we were young. What about now, after we?e all grown up? What is a father to you now?
Kim: My dad is still my closest true friend. Somebody I can lean on when I have a bad day.
Lee: You"re so lucky. My dad is just a "dad." But he is willing to do everything for me. He treats me like a princess.
Yoon: We"re still close to our dads. But I think, for them, being close is one thing and giving up their partriarchal rights is another. Since our dads grew up watching their fathers, I think they want a bit of respect, like the "old times."
Kim: I think you"re right. And I think they want to look strong to the family, like "old-time dads."
Reporter: Can you be more specific about looking strong to the family?
Kim: Dads know how much confidence their existence gives to the rest of the family. So they always try to show us a strong image.
Reporter: What weaknesses have you observed in your father?
Lee: I"ve never seen my dad"s weaknesses. He keeps all his hardships to himself and tries to solve his problems by himself. My dad usually goes out for a walk or sees a movie when he is stressed. But he always comes back with a smile, as if there is nothing wrong.
Kim: I heard from my mom that my dad cries a lot when he"s alone. But I only saw him cry just once, which was when my grandmother passed away.
Reporter: Well, people say that Autumn is the season for fathers. How about fathers making sacrifices for the family? What comes to mind?
Kim: During the "IMF crisis," my dad had a hard time. And he sacrificed the things he wanted to do for me and my sister? education. I was once embarrassed about the things that my father did for a living. But these days, I am embarrassed at myself that I actually thought that way.
Yoon: The fact that fathers have to earn money must be more pressure than we imagine. It may be like fighting with a dragon with three heads. All the stress he gets from his work and his boss. It"s reported in the news that the death rate among men in their forties is increasing.
Reporter: Have you ever been impressed or moved by your father?
Kim: So many times that I can"t count. Sometimes my dad calls unexpectedly and says that he just called to hear my voice. And my dad often brings some clothes or handbags and says that they would look nice on me.
Lee: It"s always my dad who turns off the light for me when I fall asleep. Reporter: Fathers seem to think of their children as their only joy. So, how much joy have you brought to your dads?
Lee: I"m always stuck in my room watching TV. My dad, watching TV alone in the living room, sometimes asks me to watch TV with him. Even if I? watching the same program, I stay in my room because it is more comfortable. I can"t?even do my dad that little favor.
Reporter: This talk about our fathers and the sacrifices they make gave us a lot to think about. But, how much improvement in our attitudes do you think there will be?
Lee: When we go home, we"ll say to our dads that we bragged about them today, and probably go into our rooms and close the door and leave our fathers alone again.
Kim: Our fathers are really great role models to put up with all the things we have done wrong. I wouldn"t be able to be a better parent than my dad.
The present situations of our fathers may not be what they have dreamed of when they were our age. But for us, they have made a lot of sacrifices. All three participants showed tears during the debate. It was their expression of thankfulness towards their fathers. The debate on ?athers" left a great moral. Fathers and daughters harbor deeply rooted social ideals of what it means to be "father" and ?"daughter."