Father's Day is approaching—have you thought about how to take this opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with your father? Whether it’s your biological father, adoptive father, father-in-law, godfather, or even an uncle who has taken care of you after moving away from home, expressing your gratitude on Father's Day will surely make them happy and touched! Today, let's talk about fathers!

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My academic interest and expertise have always been in family sociology. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on "non-traditional" family structures, questioning whether our preconceived notions of what constitutes a family are overly narrow. The traditional image of a family—a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter, all together for life—is no longer the norm.

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Aside from families with two fathers or two mothers, we face a demographic shift with later marriages and childbirth, as well as a rising divorce rate. Many parents who work in cities often send their children to live with grandparents in the countryside until they reach school age. Such family arrangements have long been common, and the typical family portrayed on TV is far from the reality in Taiwan.

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Thus, we need to recognize that our conceptions of "family" and "father" are constantly evolving. Any male figure playing a nurturing or guiding role can be considered a "father" in some sense. Whether you have a traditional father figure, two fathers, or none, does not define your ability to be a good person. You don't need to have a father that fits societal expectations to pursue the life you want because that societal image of a father never really existed, at any historical point.

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You might argue, "In the past, everyone had a father and a mother who raised them!" However, this claim doesn't hold up historically. Before the "no bigamy" law in the Republic of China Civil Code, it was common in Taiwanese society for a father to have multiple wives. Additionally, the practice of "passing on" (sending children to be raised by others) was also widespread, meaning biological fathers and adoptive fathers were not always the same person. Often, children grew up in a village where all the adult men collectively took on the role of nurturing the children.

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So, fathers can take many forms. Even if your father fits the stereotypical image of being both your biological and nurturing parent, we must understand that fathers change. A person evolves throughout their life based on experiences and what they encounter. So, the silent mountain that is a father is just a stereotype. Perhaps, if you take the initiative to speak, he might have a lot to share.

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