Video: Emotional blackmail for dads

The Dads for Life video is directed by Singapore photographer and first-time director Tay Kay Chin. Vimeo video from Little Red Ants.

It's a guilt trip but also a surprisingly heartwarming video clip produced for the Dads for Life movement by the National Family Council and Fathers Action Network to encourage fathers in Singapore to be more involved in their children's lives.

Two things to know for dads in Singapore -- you spend less time with your children than your spouses do, which is typically two hours less each weekend than the moms. These are the findings of the survey on fathering conducted by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in April and May, uncovering a gap between the perceptions of dads’ roles and that of their degree of involvement.

To bridge that gap, the National Family Council has set up a new network called the Fathers Action Network (FAN). And it's not just everyday people getting on the bandwagon -- the network is chaired by Richard Seow, the chairman of Parkway Holdings, and its members include Alfred Tan, executive director of Singapore Children's Society, and Wong Suen Kwong, co-founder of Centre For Fathering.

FAN volunteers have also been distributing fathering toolkits -- each containing a wristband, a custom pin, and tips for fathers -- at Raffles Place and Toa Payoh Hub. The items serves as reminders of their responsibilities and commitment to fatherhood. In other words, emtional blackmail for dads.

What do you think -- too much heartstring-tugging? Drop us a line.