Dad's a Drongo
Jill Singer
Herald Sun, 8 January 2004

Steve Irwin's idiotic behaviour with his month old baby should come as no surprise. Since when did anyone really consider the man was in any way normal?

His public persona is that of a fairly simple-minded, passionate but good-hearted Neanderthal. The world famous Crocodile Hunter has never pretended to be all that bright. Instead, Steve has always been keen to tell anyone who listens about how he's just a genuine caring bloke who loves his wife, children, crocodiles, John Howard and George Bush.

His take on the world is that of a Tarzanesque, chest-beating reductionist - there are dangers out there and people need to learn how to survive from the moment they leave their mother's womb.

Steve has a lot in common with his heroes. John Howard toughens up the babies of asylum seekers by locking them behind razor wire from the time they're born, while George Bush assures the world that Iraqi and Afghani babies must be bombed for their own good.

And so rather than see himself as being just another dangerous dropkick, Steve describes himself as being a good father for dangling both a chicken carcass and his tiny baby in front of a hungry crocodile.

You can see the logic of his actions.

After all, you never know when a crocodile might pop its head into baby Bob's bassinet. And if one does, Bob now knows exactly what to do.

Mind you, Steve has strict parenting standards.

He reckons, for example, that he'd never put a baby on a horse. Some of us might have trouble working out why he decided to draw the line in that particular bit of sand, but it's probably just a case of horses for courses

John Howard doesn't lock up little white babies, George Bush doesn't bomb them and Steve won't let them near ponies.

We all have our standards.

What does surprise me about the baby-as-entrée episode is that Terri Irwin so happily went along with it and continues to show more concern with protecting her husband than her baby. Poor wee Bob. Having one dill as a parent is unfortunate, having two is a tragedy.

But Terri isn't copping nearly as much flak as is Steve, even though we usually expect mothers to show more signs of being "overprotective" with newborns than do fathers.

The scene where dad hurls a gleeful baby above his head while mum shrieks with fear is a pretty typical one. Research suggests this scenario also presents a recipe for successful parenting.

Most of us will have noticed that a common cause of conflict between parents of young children is the differing views that mothers and fathers usually have about the protection of children: mothers tend to be nurturing and watchful, whereas fathers lean toward a more boisterous and playful approach to dealing with their babies.

This difference shouldn't be seen as a problem because both boys and girls apparently benefit from both approaches.

A 1996 Harvard University study found that fathers are more boisterous than mothers in their interactions with daughters as well as sons, while a 1984 study published in the journal Child Management found that mothers typically help their children's development by stimulating them verbally, whereas fathers make an important contribution to their child's development with their rough-house play.

While little Bob Irwin certainly doesn't have an overtly clucky and protective mother, he is lucky in one important way: his parents are obviously devoted to each other and are in firm agreement about how he should be raised.

If he survives the dangers this foolish pair are determined to keep subjecting him to then he may well grow up to be an extremely courageous and well-rounded individual.

But let's face it, for all the comparisons between Michael Jackson's and Steve Irwin's recklessness with their babies, Entrée Bob's future sure holds more hope than does Baby Blanket's.

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