As if unemployed dads haven't got enough to worry about what with trying to find a job to put food in their children's bellies, a new report claims they could be damaging their kids' health.
The report by the Department of Health says children need a stable figure who goes to work and provides for them.
It claims that unemployment and a dependency on benefits erodes children's self-esteem - and can affect them years after their fathers' find jobs.
The report said: "There is evidence that unemployment of a parent may cause a child to have lower levels of well-being in the longer term.
"If a child's father is unemployed , even if the father is re-employed, in future years, this may adversely affect a child's happiness and self-esteem."
Kick a dog when it's down, eh?