As much as mothers want their partners to be involved with their children, experts say they often unintentionally discourage men from doing so. Because mothering is their realm, some women micromanage fathers and expect them to do things their way, said Marsha Kline Pruett, a professor at the Smith College School for Social Work at Smith College and a co-author of the new book “Partnership Parenting,” with her husband, the child psychiatrist Dr. Kyle Pruett (Da Capo Press).
Yet a mother’s support of the father turns out to be a critical factor in his involvement with their children, experts say ”” even when a couple is divorced.
“In the last 20 years, everyone’s been talking about how important it is for fathers to be involved,” said Sara S. McLanahan, a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton. “But now the idea is that the better the couple gets along, the better it is for the child.”
Who would have guessed- a man and woman working together, each bringing unique gifts and approaches, is the best recipe for the sound nurture of children….
…any day soon the self driven secular society might have their eureka moment ‘conventional marriage works’ – then they might consider if it is even a plan of some sort….
…then they might ponder the loving God who created family life and we can all praise the God of revelation who has ALREADY provided us with the answers if only we would stop being so stubborn, blind and rebellious and actually aknowledge them. (hint: they do not sit comfortably with feminism, gay rights and what passes for ‘justice’ today. But they DO fit in with the traditional family, sacrifice over selfishness and the need to love neighbour as self.
Rugbyplayingpriest [#1] writes: “… we can all praise the God of revelation who has ALREADY provided us with the answers if only we would stop being so stubborn, blind and rebellious and actually aknowledge them.”
Assuming your underlying premise, this view presupposes that what people desire in life is — or at least ought to be — identical to what people desired circa 1300 BCE in what we now call the Middle East. It’d be pretty sad if the world really worked that way.
(Lest there be any misunderstanding: As the father of two young adults, I certainly like the fact, described in the article, that the father’s role is being acknowledged more. And I wholeheartedly agree that it’s good for kids to see that their mom and dad love each other and are working together as partners in child-raising.)