'); _avp.push({ tagid: article_top_ad_tagid, alias: '/', type: 'banner', zid: ThisAdID, pid: 16, secure: true }); While it is certainly better for a family to always be intact and for the father and mother to always be present, unfortunately life circumstances often demand that a person does need to take a leave of absence, whether for a repeated or occasional work assignment. For the running of the family, it is a lot less deleterious if it is the father who leaves from time to time. In terms of nurturing the children, the mother is far more central, and her absence would be very difficult for the family to sustain. But a fatherâs absence often isnât that damaging.