Are men bad parents?
Why some men find fatherhood so difficult
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
New fathers don't have to meet all the expectations mothers do, said Brett Singer in ParentDish, but why do so many people seem stuck on the silly "notion that women are somehow wired for parenting and men are not"? British newspapers are citing Michael Lewis' new book Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood as evidence that men have to adjust in order to love their children. In the age of modern parenting, that "sounds pretty old-fashioned to me."
Plenty of guys say men aren't natural parents, said Ellie White in Britain's The Sun. In addition to Michael Lewis, who writes that fatherhood can be "boring and demoralizing," there's Ben George, editor of the literary journal Ecotone, who says men are only beginning to talk openly about the "dark moments of fatherhood." And Fox News broadcaster Steve Doocy, author of the forthcoming book Tales From the Dad Side: Misadventures in Fatherhood, says men aren't wired for parenting the way women are.
Men are wired to be good parents, said Aaron Traister in Salon, but many struggle to overcome pressure from a society that still tells them they should be making money and not taking care of babies. The old gender roles started crumbling the moment our moms entered the workforce. Instead of clinging to the responsibilities men think we should have, we should "embrace the ones that are right in front of us," the ones wearing the droopy diapers.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Film reviews: ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,’ and ‘Sirat’Feature An inconvenient love torments a would-be couple, a gonzo time traveler seeks to save humanity from AI, and a father’s desperate search goes deeply sideways
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp