It is a day for barbecues, greeting cards, and ties that Dad might or might not actually wear. And while Father’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the unique contributions of men to American families, it also represents an appropriate time to examine the changing nature of that contribution.
According to data from the U.S. Census, about one-third of American children are growing up in a household without their biological father — and the sociological impact of that is extensive. According to a council convened by the White House, as reported by Lois M. Collins and Marjorie Cortez last year for The Atlantic: “The time a dad spends with his children is a particularly strong predictor of how empathetic a child will become. … Children who lack contact with fathers are more likely to be treated for emotional or behavioral problems. Girls with absent or indifferent fathers are more prone to hyperactivity. If dad is around, girls are less likely to become pregnant as teens.”
There is more. As Dr. Gail Gross wrote for Huffington Post: “Your child’s primary relationship with his/her father can affect all of your child’s relationships from birth to death, including those with friends, lovers, and spouses.”
The list goes on, but the gist is simplistic: Fathers matter. They aren’t perfect, and they aren’t any more or less important than mothers, but fathers can be crucial to developing the emotional maturity that allows a child to become a thriving adult. So it is that today we recognize fathers in all their glory, acknowledging the role they play as readers of stories, and fixers of bicycles, and kickers of soccer balls. As an old axiom goes, any male can produce a child, but it takes a real man to be a father.
Studies have demonstrated that fathers these days — on average — are more engaged with their children than ever before. With women working more and more outside the home and with other changes in traditional gender roles, many dads have embraced an expanded role in the lives of youngsters from the moment of birth. Lest there be any doubt about that, consider these two facts: It wasn’t all that long ago that fathers were not allowed in the birthing room, and it wasn’t all that long ago that many a father could go through life without ever changing a diaper. The cultural shift that calls for a more nurturing role has been embraced by many fathers and has been a benefit to society.
It only counts, however, if dad is in the family to begin with. In 1970, roughly 80 percent of American children younger than 18 were growing up in two-parent households; today, that number is about 65 percent. Such a family structure is not a requirement for a supportive and nourishing home life; successful families can come in all shapes and sizes and configurations, and sometimes a one-parent household can provide a better environment for children than a volatile two-parent arrangement. But studies and common sense indicate that a two-parent home is, for the most part, better for children.
Not to mention that it can provide endless enrichment and growth for Dad. As 17th-century poet John Wilmot wrote: “Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.” Such is the messiness of fatherhood; such is the messiness of any endeavor that calls for endless patience and copious love.
American society long has lauded the role of mothers, who traditionally play a larger role in the upbringing of a child. But a day to celebrate fathers and their accomplishments is well-earned, as well.
