History Main / WhenYouComingHomeDad

* In {{Ponyo}} the father of main character Sasuke is this, much to his mother's annoyance. It's somewhat [[HeartwarmingMoments heart]] [[TearJerker wrenching]] in that Hayao Miyazaki made the film at least partially as an apology to his son and wife for working so much. When the father signals ''I'm sorry'' from the ship, it's Miyazaki, talking to his family.

* One of the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' books contains a poem entitled "But You Didn't," in which the narrator repeatedly asks one of his parents to play with him, ending each request with the words "but you didn't." In the end, [[spoiler:"My country called me to war; you asked me to come home safely... but I didn't!"]]

** Dan's issues with his own father are all about how much time he spent on the road with his job.

* TheLibby in ''CampRock'' has a parent like this.

Sakura's father Fujitaka is a milder example, as he's an archeologist and uni professor with a very heavy schedule.

* Both parents from ''MaryPoppins'' are period-piece examples of this trope, although in the mother's case it's her political crusades, not a job, that take up too much of her time. Moreover, in both cases, it seems as if it's not that their jobs are particularly time-consuming so much as they're mildly disinterested in the children and willing to pawn their parental responsibilities off on someone else.

* In ''{{Parenthood}}'', Gil struggles to balance his home life and career to be able to spend time with his kids and still keep a roof over their heads.

* ''SailorMoon'': Ami's HotMom is a workaholic doctor, but also a pretty good person who had to raise her daughter almost on her own after her divorce. She even laments in the manga that she would really love to spend more time with her kid, but she cannot. This is to the point where she doesn't show up at all in the anime.\\
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Likewise her DisappearedDad is a travelling artist (seemingly a wildlife painter) who communicates to her via letters and paintings but almost never actually shows up.
* ''CardCaptorSakura'': Sonomi Daidouji, Tomoyo's mother. Like Dr. Mizuno, Sonomi's always very busy with her business and barely has time to see Tomoyo, but is genuinely affectionate to her and her friends when she ''is'' around. [[spoiler: Specially seen in the episode where Tomoyo temporarily becomes a CuteMute due to a Clow Card stealing her voice]].\\
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* ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Gendo appears to be an example of this during the JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind / DreamSequence / [[GainaxEnding who knows what]] in ''End of Evangelion'', and at least one AlternateContinuity runs with the idea that this is how he'd be if his StartOfDarkness hadn't taken place. It's somewhat telling that even when experiencing [[AssimilationPlot Instrumentality]], which supposedly lets you live out your greatest wishes without limit, this is the most positive portrayal of his father that Shinji's imagination can devise.

* Played with in ''{{Coraline}}''. Upset with neglect from her workaholic parents, Coraline is ensnared into the seductive world of the Other Mother where Coraline gets everything she wants and her parents exist only to please her. [[spoiler: It's later revealed to be a honey trap, as the Other Mother is actually a creature that feeds on childrens' souls.]]\\

* The theme occurs periodically in ''Jersey Girl''.

* Michelle Pfeiffer's character in ''IAmSam''.

* "Father and Son" by CatStevens is an inversion, being more of a "Why You Leaving Home, Son?" The father has never really taken the time to get to know his son, and cannot understand the son's frustration at conveying how important leaving to become his own man is. Incidentally, "Cat's in the Cradle" is often a MisattributedSong to Cat Stevens.

* Jamey Johnson's [[http://www.cmt.com/videos/jamey-johnson/72201/the-dollar.jhtml The Dollar]] delivers the same [[AnAesop Aesop]] as the TropeNamer, but in a heartwarming tone instead of a depressing one.

* The song ''Wasted'' by Cartel has a variety of fairly depressing moments in it throughout the course of a person's life, including this one.

* NeilDiamond's "Shilo" uses this trope. A boy creates an imaginary friend, Shilo, because his father won't pay attention to him and he's lonely:

* NeilDiamond's ''Shilo'' uses this trope. A boy creates an imaginary friend, Shilo, because his father won't pay attention to him and he's lonely:
-->Papa says he'd love to be with you, if he had the time

* "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens is an inversion, being more of a "Why You Leaving Home, Son?" The father has never really taken the time to get to know his son, and cannot understand the son's frustration at conveying how important leaving to become his own man is. Incidentally, "Cat's in the Cradle" is often a MisattributedSong to Cat Stevens.
* CreedenceClearwaterRevival had a song called ''Someday Never Comes'' which not only invokes this trope with both the father's life and death, but states that the son ends up just like his father with the implication that '''his''' son will be the same way when he gets older.

* The TropeNamer is a line from Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle". The father never seems to have time for his kid, making empty promises to spend time with him, and despite all that, his kid continues to look up to his dad, promising that he'll grow up just like him. When the dad is retired and finally has time for his son, he finds that his son is now the workaholic that has no time for him.

* ''NieR Gestalt'' spends all his time desperately searching for a cure for his [[IllGirl sick daughter]] [[PluckyGirl Yonah]], [[TheUnfettered no matter the cost]], but all Yonah wants is for him to be at home with her.

* ''{{Click}}'': Adam Sandler needs to learn that spending time with his kids and having sex with Kate Beckinsale is better than working.

Things had settled down in the YoungIndianaJones series when Indy was in High School, but now the physical distance had been replaced with emotional distace after the death of Mrs. Jones

* In ''[[{{Persona4}} Persona 4]]'', Dojima-san is always too busy solvin' crime to do anything with Nanako. She asks him the title question over the phone more than once.

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* In {{Ponyo}} the father of main character Sasuke is this, much to his mother's annoyance. It's somewhat [[HeartwarmingMoments heart]] [[TearJerker wrenching]] in that Hayao Miyazaki, OrSoIHeard, made the film at least partially as an apology to his son and wife for working so much. When the father signals ''I'm sorry'' from the ship, it's Miyazaki, talking to his family.

* This is something Tom Hanks character does in ''RoadToPerdition''. It turns out that his reasoning for keeping distant is because he doesn't want his sons (especially Michael) to follow the same road as him and become a hitman for the mob.

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