In Praise Of Dads

OK, as a very involved Dad, I’m hardly an unbiased source on this subject but I was happy to see this review of a new book on the importance of fathers:

But fathers matter most, of course, in childhood, when the seeds of many future traits are planted. Mr. Raeburn quotes a wealth of studies linking paternal involvement to a child’s intellectual, emotional and social development. Children who grow up feeling loved and nurtured by their fathers, he notes, have comparatively higher self-esteem and are at a lower risk of developing mental illness later in life. A caring father, many researchers have suggested, is as important as a loving mother to a child’s long-term welfare.

That’s one reason that when we talk about family friendly policies, we need to talk about encouraging dads to take time off to spend with children as well as moms.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.