• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Because dads don’t always think like moms™

  • Dad
    • Celebrities
    • Gay Dads
    • Sex
    • Single Dads
  • Pregnancy
    • Labor or Delivery
    • Pregnant Wife
  • Baby
    • Baby Naming
    • Feeding
    • Sleep
    • Toilet Training
  • Kids
  • Teens
  • Activities
    • Local
    • By Age
    • Movie Reviews
    • Celebrations
  • Toys
    • We Recommend
    • Toys
  • Coaching for Dads
  • Great Dad Talks Podcast

Can Fathers be Responsible Parents?

September 4, 2008 by Armin Brott Leave a Comment

 Q:  You’ve written a lot about negative media portrayals of fathers. But aren’t they just presenting life the way it is? Isn’t it a reality that men just aren’t the most responsible parents when it comes to childrearing?

A: One can reasonably argue that the images of men and women in children’s literature are simply reflections of reality. It’s still true that for a variety of reasons women in this country do the bulk of the childcare. But if children’s literature only reflected reality, why aren’t fifty percent of the families divorced? Why aren’t fifteen to twenty percent of the single parents in these books fathers? Why, for that matter, aren’t smokers, alcoholics, and drug abusers adequately represented?

The answer is that literature doesn’t always reflect reality. In fact, it could be said that it sometimes does quite the opposite, reflecting some kind of reality that doesn’t exist; the world the way we imagine it rather than the way it is.

Remember all those gender-neutral firefighters from Richard Scary and other authors? The truth is that in the real world, only two percent of the 1.2 million people who risk their lives to fight fires in this country are women. But that hasn’t prevented us from all but banishing the word “fireman” from the English language. Far more than two percent of all the nurturing parents are men, and, in raw numbers, there are far more actively involved, nurturing, loving fathers than there are female firefighters. Still, images of nurturing fathers are practically nowhere to be found.

There’s little question that reading about female firefighters (and police officers and construction workers and just about any other profession where women are a small minority) boosts girls’ self-esteem and reinforces in their minds-and everyone else’s, for that matter-the idea that women have lives beyond the home and that there’s nothing girls and women can’t do. Little boys, on the other hand, are given a far more restricted list of life options: they can do anything they want, as long as they financially support their families and leave the nurturing to the nearest female.

                                                                                            – Armin Brott



A
great dad himself, Armin speaks not only as a specialist in parenting,
but as a parent himself. He has written several books including The Expectant Father and Fathering Your Toddler.

Filed Under: Authors

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
SIGN-UP TODAY to receive the only baby newsletter written by dads, for dads. Act now and receive a free copy of the popular GreatDad E-Book!
My baby's due date or birthday :
Profile picture
Privacy Policy and Terms
Baby Name Finder!

what's in a name

  • Show names for:
  • Boys
  • Girls
  • Either
Finding a name you can both agree on isn't always easy. Use our simple name generator to get started.
First Letter
Last Letter
Number of Letters
Origin
Find a name!

More to See

family under a cardboard

Over 40? The Five Types of Insurance You Should Have

October 22, 2022 By Contributing Authors

A Dad’s Guide to Bonding with Your Kids Through Computer Games

May 5, 2022 By Contributing Authors

Tags

529 Plan budgeting for teens college savings compromise dad dads Father's Day fatherhood friendship in-laws love marriage Movie Review parenting advice parenting skills prepaid cards ritual Sundays travel vacation

Footer

Hi mom!

Would you like to share this site with your husband or a friend?

Just enter his email address and your name below and we'll let him know all about GreatDad.com.

His email address
Your Name

Recent

  • Special Clarity session – $25
  • Over 40? The Five Types of Insurance You Should Have
  • A Dad’s Guide to Bonding with Your Kids Through Computer Games
  • 5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for a Surgical Procedure
  • How to get kids excited about dental hygiene

Search

Tags

529 Plan budgeting for teens college savings compromise dad dads Father's Day fatherhood friendship in-laws love marriage Movie Review parenting advice parenting skills prepaid cards ritual Sundays travel vacation

Copyright © 2023 . GreatDad