Читать книгу The Complete Parenting Collection - Steve Biddulph, Steve Biddulph - Страница 77

Even today, after a whole revolution in fathers’ roles, people still ask: do dads matter? Can’t mothers do it all?

The research supporting the importance of dads is overwhelmingly clear. Boys with absent fathers, or with problem fathers, are statistically more likely to be violent, get hurt, get into trouble, do poorly in school, and be members of teenage gangs in adolescence. They are less likely to progress to university or have a good career. They marry less successfully, and are less effective fathers themselves. A good mum can make up for not having a father around, but it’s really, really hard work.

Fatherless daughters are more likely to have low self-esteem, to have sex before they really want to, to get pregnant young, be assaulted or abused, and not continue their schooling. Families without men are usually poorer, and children of these families are likely to move downwards on the socio-economic ladder. Is that enough to convince you?

Fathering is the best thing you are ever likely to do – for your own satisfaction and joy, and for its effect on the future of other human beings. And it’s good fun.