History Main / WhenYouComingHomeDad

* ''[[OldKingdom Old Kingdom]]'' 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 come before those of a father; Sabriel makes a similar speech to her son Sam later; Lirael's mother had to leave her because of something she Saw. Partially subverted, however: the kids may not like it, but they do understand, and so does the reader.]]

* Both ''{{MOTHER}}'' and ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' have your father in such a situation, contactable only by phone; exaggerated in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', where in the cast roll in the credits your father ''is'' a phone. ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' sort of does it, [[{{Dissimile}} the same way death is sort of sleeping]].

* Naruto in ''Demon in the Hyuga Clan'' goes through this for years (turning him into a rather soft spoken, stoic yet well adjusted kid) but due to being a master of AngstWhatAngst his parents (Minato and Kushina are alive and well) don't realise he's lonely. Hinata calls them out on it (Naruto confides in her) saying they're making feel unwanted. When they answer that he (Naruto) would've told them she asks: [[ArmorPiercingQuestion "How can when YOU'RE NEVER HOME?"]]. Cue StunnedSilence.

* [[spoiler:Barty Crouch, Sr.]] in ''HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', with deadly consequences. Not that this character didn't have [[KnightTemplar other problems]].

* In the {{Spider-Man}} comic that first revealed that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin, we see Norman being this to his son Harry in a flashback. We even see him bringing Harry an expensive present and trying to tell himself that this surely makes up for never having time for him. [[CaptainObvious No Norman, it doesn't.]]

* This is a minor plot point in ''Jack Frost'' (the family film, not the horror film).

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

* Shows up in ''Unstable Fables: Tortoise Vs. Hare'': Murray Hare misses his son's science fair to work at his car dealership. His wife is even worse, as she's a real estate agent who never takes off her Bluetooth headset and appears to be giving motherly advice when she's actually talking to a client.

* ''Rocket Power'' had Sam's dad be like this when he comes to visit. By the end of the episode he tosses his phone in the back of their car and ignores it as it rings.

:: The song was based on a poem Harry's wife wrote about her first husband's relationship with ''his'' father. And written when his child was born, while he was out touring.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* In ''{{Ponyo}}'' the father of main character Sosuke is this, much to his mother's annoyance. It's somewhat [[HeartwarmingMoments heart]] [[TearJerker wrenching]] in that HayaoMiyazaki 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.

[[folder: Comics ]]

* Thomas Wayne is sometimes portrayed as having been this kind of father to [[{{Batman}} Bruce]] - in some versions, the fateful trip to the movies was intended to make up for this...

[[folder: Fanfiction]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''{{Click}}'': Adam Sandler needs to learn that spending time with his kids and [[CaptainObvious having sex with Kate Beckinsale is better than working]].
* ''EvanAlmighty'': Also about spending more time with his wife.

* ''{{North}}'': Young North feels so neglected that he actually divorces himself from his parents. This sets a rather dangerous precedent as children across the nation are now forcing their parents to wait on them hand and foot, lest they call Cat's Cradle and get their own divorce.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* A minor point in {{Animorphs}}. Rachel's mom is a lawyer and a single parent so there are occasional references to her not being around as much as the other's parents.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* the AlphaBitch in ''CampRock'' has a parent like this.

* On ''WillAndGrace'', Jack, who has daddy issues of his own, despondently recites the lyrics of the song into the mirror when his biological son's mother forbids him from seeing the boy again.
* ''PowerRangersTurbo'': Justin's dad is too busy trying to find and hold down a job to spend much time with him. Justin has a bit better luck than most on this page because this is resolved by the end, and in the meantime his fellow Rangers act as a surrogate family.

[[folder: Music ]]

* "Slipping Through My Fingers" by {{ABBA}} tells the story of a mother that laments how work kept her away from her daughter as she grew up. Made even more of a TearJerker when you learn that it's based on both Björn and Agnetha's lives and how they missed their daughter's early years.

* "Busy Man," Billy Ray Cyrus's only hit song between his Achy Breaky heyday and his HannahMontana-induced comeback, explores this theme.

* [[LinkinPark Fort Minor]]'s song "Where'd You Go" is all about this trope from the point of view from the neglected family.

[[folder: Theatre ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In ''KatawaShoujo'', Hisao's parents spent most of his childhood working. He notes that this resulted in him having evenings to himself, enabling him to go out into the city.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* Tiger from ''{{Spinnerette}}'' had a case of this in his flash-back; he often had precious little time with his wife and kids because he was working so many hours as a police officer. In truth it was because he was moonlighting as a superhero. When his family catches him, his kids aren't upset any more, in fact they're completely ecstatic! His wife... Not so much.

* John Cheese of {{Cracked}} wrote an [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-money-can-buy-happiness/ article]] angrily blasting this trope, referencing this very TVTropes page specifically.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''TheFairlyOddparents'': Timmy Turner's parents were these at first. It doesn't get better. They have since been [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into being ever more [[ParentalNeglect neglectful]] and selfish.

* On ''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]]."

* Played with in ''Film/{{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.]]\\

* In ''{{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.

* In ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', we get a dose of this with Carth's son. Part of the reason he [[spoiler: joined the Sith]] was because he resented his father for always being off at war.
* The title character of ''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.

* In ''{{Ponyo}}'' the father of main character Sosuke 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.

* 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. Then again, this was completely normal for a well-off family in the Edwardian Era.

* 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.

* "American Dreams" by ChristianRock band Casting Crowns, which compares the proverbial man-who-built-his-house-upon-sand to a workaholic father who's never there for his wife and child.

* ''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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* In [[spoiler: TheCompound]], the fabulously wealthy father had grown up in an orphanage and, during his kid's childhood realized he didn't spend enough time with them. [[spoiler: So he faked a nuclear attack and made them live with him in an underground bunker for 6 years. He was planning to keep them there another twelve, even if that meant they'd have to eat the younger siblings who were born underground.]]

* Poor Ashley Robbins suffered this in [[TraceMemory Another Code R]] when her father wound up leaving her - [[ParentalAbandonment again]] - after he returned to civilized life. He was aware of it enough to invite her to visit, though, which kicked off the plot of the game.

* [[SaGa2 Final Fantasy Legend II]] opens with a scene where your father is last seen leaving through your bedroom window. Throughout the game, the two of you bond through brief encounters as you try to convince him to stop working so damn hard.

* [[spoiler:Barty Crouch, Sr.]] in ''HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'' with deadly consequences. Not that this character didn't have [[KnightTemplar other problems]].

* ''IndianaJones''

* In ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'', [[spoiler:Thane Krios']] relationship with his son [[spoiler:Kolyat]] is this trope. It turns into a WholePlotReference to the song when [[spoiler:Kolyat]] decides to follow in his father's footsteps and [[spoiler:become an assassin]]. The achievement for completing this subplot is even titled Cat's in the Cradle.
** MassEffect in general likes this trope. [[WrenchWench Tali's]] father was an admiral and never really close to his daughter, and [[ActionGirl Ashley's]] father was always out in space serving the military, while she, her sisters, and her mother stayed planetside.

* In ''[[MassEffect Mass Effect 2]]'', [[spoiler:Thane Krios' relationship with his son Kolyat is this trope. It turns into a WholePlotReference to the song when Kolyat decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become an assassin. The achievement for completing this subplot is even titled Cat's in the Cradle]].

* In the [[{{Spiderman}} Spider-Man]] comic that first revealed that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin, we see Norman being this to his son Harry in a flashback. We even see him bringing Harry an expensive present and trying to tell himself that this surely makes up for never having time for him. [[CaptainObvious No Norman, it doesn't.]]