How ancient is father care of human infants and young children, and why did it emerge? Is it possible that father care arose among the ancestors of modern humans and became essential for survival? Or is it a recent, though variable, development? Is father care an evolved trait of Homo sapiens or is it a learned cultural behavior transmitted across generations in some societies but not others? In this important study, Frank L’Engle Williams examines the anthropological record for evidence of the social behaviors associated with paternity, suggesting that ample evidence exists for the…
Every parent wants his or her daughter to become strong, confident, happy, healthy, and independent. Alarming statistics have shown the plunge in self-esteem that many girls experience around age 10 to 12. How can parents, teachers, and other role models prepare girls to become strong and creative as they grow? In Raising Strong Daughters, Gadeberg provides a variety of creative ideas to teach girls of any age the inner confidence, strength, and know-how needed to get ready for life. Each theme-focused chapter is brimming with practical hands-on ideas that can be woven into everyday…
Football, toy trains, Erector sets . . . most fathers can relate to having a son. But what's a dad to do when he's invited for imaginary tea? Robert Wolgemuth's She Calls Me Daddy relates all the wonderful times that are waiting to be had for fathers with some special little ladies-their daughters. Focusing on seven things every man should know about raising a girl, it concentrates on specific areas of growth to reveal what a father can do to ensure she becomes the woman she is meant to be. (Author abstract modified)
This book links fatherhood to the needs of our children to be prepared for life outside the comfort and safety of the family. It links fatherhood to essential and complementary contributions of mothers. It links fatherhood to specific types of problems experienced by children without fathers. Whether married, divorced or a teenage father-this book will affirm what you have felt all along---Children need to know and be known by their father. (Author abstract)
Tackling Single Parenting offers practical solutions to help single parents and their children be more effective, productive, and content in today's complicated and fast-paced society--from a man's point of view. Parenting techniques include: pointers that help maintain a positive outlook on life while tackling single parenting, information that helps children be more responsible and productive, tips for building self-esteem that provide power and courage for you, and your children, suggestions for building your financial security, suggestions for teaching virtues that help children learn to…
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Journal Article Although it is generally assumed that fathers are absent from the lives of children being raised on AFDC, evidence from a case-control study in Worcester, Massachusetts, suggests that there is considerable father-child contact. Participants in the study included 220 sheltered homeless women and 216 low-income housed women and their dependent children. The women were interviewed about the father of each child, the physical and mental health of each child, education, support networks, and custody. The children also were asked about their social networks. Twenty percent of the fathers paid child…
This chapter focuses on the construction of risk indices and their use in predicting correlates of child maltreatment by exploring the relationship between the indices and the outcome measures of the Adolescent Parent Services Evaluation. This 3-year evaluation, which began in the fall of 1987, compared seven new parent programs in seven States offering education support services for pregnant and parenting adolescents. A total of 488 adolescents participated in the study. Using a nonequivalent control group design with each site serving as a comparison group for the others, researchers…
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Journal Article In 1994, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed an order dissolving the adoption of "Baby Richard" and returning the child to his biological parents after 3 1/2 years with an adoptive family. This decision prompted the Illinois General Assembly to make significant changes to the State's adoption laws. In an effort to secure the finality of adoptions, the legislature promulgated several new burdens on putative fathers. The author examines the problems faced by courts and legislatures across the United States in addressing the plight of thwarted putative fathers, analyzes the case and the new…
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Journal Article To further the understanding of the determinants of fathering, the parenting of 64 fathers of first-born male toddlers was observed at home at four ages across the second and third years of life (15, 21, 27, and 33 months). Four qualitative measures of fathering were derived from the observational data. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to assess the association(s) between these fathering behaviors and variables representing three broad domains of influence on parenting (parent characteristics, social-contextual factors, and child characteristics), as well as social economic…
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Journal Article This article describes the court case in which the Kansas Supreme Court addresses the stepparent adoption provision of the Kansas Adoption and Relinquishment Act. The court for this case held that the statute will be strictly interpreted in favor of the birth father who was in danger of having his parental rights forfeited when the issue was whether he failed or refused to fulfill his parental obligations. The court for this case reversed the district court order granting the adoption by the stepfather. The court granted significant protection in the stepparent adoption to the father who…
