History Main / WhenYouComingHomeDad

* In the ''Literature/NewJediOrder'', Jaina Solo (Han and Leia's daughter) is this with respect to her mother as, during her childhood, her parents were always off saving the galaxy and were too busy for her. [[DaddysGirl She oddly doesn't hold her father to the same standards]], though this is partly due to the fact that she somewhat resented the fact that Leia never properly learned to be a Jedi even though she carries a lightsaber, and that she otherwise shares all of her skills with her father.

* On ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'', [[HeroAntagonist Dib]] and [[CreepyChild Gaz]] suffer from an extreme version of this, as their father [[ReluctantMadScientist Professor Membrane]] is always either at his laboratory or working on some odd project in the basement. He often communicates with his children through floating video monitors rather than in person. To make things worse, most of his remaining interaction with Dib is spent on lamenting his "[[CassandraTruth insanity]]" and/or pestering him to study "[[ForScience real science]]." The [[ComicBook/InvaderZim comics]] downplay this, with him having a greater presence at home, though he still questions Dib's obsessions.

* In ''VideoGame/RootsOfPacha'', Era misses her father Zelk because he's a [[IntrepidMerchant wandering merchant]] who visits the village once a week to trade with you.

* ''LightNovel/IHadThatSameDreamAgain'': Nanoka's parents both work a lot and are rarely home at the same time, which is part of why she spends so much time with Minami, [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname "Skank-san"]], and Obaachan. This bugs her more than she tends to let on, but when Nanoka learns that her parents can't come to school on the day that her class gives their reports on the "happiness" assignment due to sudden work commitments, she blows up at her mother.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ChipAndPotato'', Nico and Bodi's father, Andy Panda, rarely gets to see his sons because he often takes business trips. But they still love each other.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'': Jimmy once travels back in time and persuades his father to invest in the show's [=McDonald's=] {{Expy}}. When he gets back to his own time, his parents are millionaires, but they can't even bother to give him the time of day, so he goes back to the past to change things back to normal.

* Both ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER|1}}'' and ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' have the protagonist's father in such a situation, contactable only by phone; exaggerated in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', wherein the cast roll in the credits your father ''is'' a phone. ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' also does it, in a different way: for much of the game, Lucas' father spends most of his time up in the mountains searching for his other son that had gone missing, leaving Lucas home alone.

* The {{Trope Namer|s}} is a line from Music/HarryChapin'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 to be 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. (Though the son's mentions of his own children suggest he's trying to do right by them this time around.)

* Happens in ''Film/{{Inception}}'', where Dominic Cobb's young son asks his father when he would be coming home. Cobb audibly sighs and later the audience finds out that he can't return to America because [[spoiler:his wife set up her suicide to look like he murdered her. (She believed that she was in a dream world, and wanted Cobb to "die" with her to "wake up."]]

* ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series: [[spoiler:Just before he sacrifices himself, Sabriel's father apologizes to her for not having been an "ideal parent", saying that the duties of the Abhorsen tend to come before those of a father. Sabriel makes a similar speech to her son Sam later, saying that Lirael's mother had to leave her because of something she saw]].

* The 1998 comedy ''[[Film/JackFrost1998 Jack Frost]]'': Jack Frost is a workaholic singer of his self-titled rock band and he constantly puts his career over his wife Gabby and son Charlie and often breaks/forgets the promises he made to them. Jack misses Charlie's hockey game but promises to make up for it with a trip to the mountains for Christmas. But then Jack is called in to record songs that mean he won't be home for Christmas. On his way to the gig, Jack realizes his mistake and cancels the gig and leaves to spend the holidays with his family. Unfortunately, a bad storm begins to block his vision, and he crashes his car and is killed instantly. One year later, the spirit of Jack is reincarnated inside a snowman in order to put things right with Charlie before he completely disappears into the afterlife.

%%* ''Film/JingleAllTheWay''

* In the video for Kelly Clarkson's song "Because of You," when her younger self proudly shows her father a picture that she drew in school, he is so busy talking on his cell phone that he absent-mindedly drops it into a sink full of water.

* "Come Home Billy Bird (international business traveller)" by ''Music/TheDivineComedy'' is about a father's heroic attempts to avert this trope.

* The PlayerCharacter's father in ''VideoGame/PokemonUranium'' throws himself into his work after his wife dies in a nuclear reactor meltdown, and sends his child to live with his aunt rather than raise them himself.

** Played more straight in the episode "C.E.D'oh," in which Homer uses a legal technicality to get Burns ousted as owner of the power plant and winds up as its new owner, only to be forced to work late hours as he realizes that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome running a power plant actually requires a lot of effort]], which leaves him teleconferencing into family dinner and rescheduling time with Bart. He ends up reverting to StatusQuoIsGod after Burns shows him a ''graveyard'' of all the loved ones he outlived without ever finding the time for (though not intending to teach him a lesson but to kill him by walling him in one of the mausoleums).

** Played more straight in the episode "C.E.D'oh," in which Homer uses a legal technicality to assume ownership of the power plant, only to be forced to work late hours as he realizes that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome running a power plant actually requires a lot of effort]], which leaves him teleconferencing into family dinner and rescheduling time with Bart. He ends up reverting to StatusQuoIsGod after Burns shows him a ''graveyard'' of all the loved ones he outlived without ever finding the time for (though not intending to teach him a lesson but to kill him by walling him in one of the mausoleums).

* Parodied in the ''Film/MaryPoppins'' episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Homer says that Shary Bobbins taught him not to be a money-driven workaholic (something Homer never was in even the tiniest way).

* A Tagalog story called "''Saan ang Lakad Mo Ngayon, Ma?''" ("Where are You Off To Now, Ma?") has this dynamic between a student and her workaholic mother. It does not end well.

* One of the ''Literature/ChickenSoupForTheSoul'' 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:[[{{Glurge}} "My country called me to war; you asked me to come home safely... but I didn't!"]]]]

* The title character of ''VideoGame/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.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Rick Moranis defied this trope. When his wife died, he retired from acting specifically so he wouldn't be one of these to his daughter.
[[/folder]]

* ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' has Zack's father portrayed as this, being away on business and on his phone all the time, which becomes a plot point in one of the few episodes with him in it.

* ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheThirdPower'': Rashim is often away from home because of his military duties. His husband, Maliq, and their kids are understandably upset that he doesn't spend enough time with them. though he promises to retire soon.