On Father's Day, a German expert lists the small daily frictions that wear fathers down

Families in many countries are marking Father's Day on Sunday against a backdrop of more hands-on fatherhood, with experts pointing to sleep deprivation as the most common strain on new fathers. Mathias Wolscher, founder of the Family Laboratory, a fatherhood training program established in Bavaria, Germany, about 13 years ago, said nighttime crying leaves many fathers unable to sleep properly and pushes them to a breaking point. Wolscher has built his work around workshops and counseling for fathers. Fathers also commonly complain about having less time to watch football with friends, receiving constant directive advice from their partners, and hearing older relatives repeat that child-rearing is a mother's job. Other frequent grievances include cars packed with children's belongings, a partner's attention shifting heavily to the baby after childbirth, uncertainty over how to dress a baby during seasonal transitions, and being stared at as a "rookie dad" in mother-dominated spaces such as shopping malls. The observations come from interviews conducted by Wolscher's program with fathers and specialists, and reflect changing expectations around parental roles in countries where fatherhood has moved well beyond the traditional breadwinner model.