Tuesday, July 12, 2016

The Need For Mothers AND Fathers

The complementarity of male and female parenting styles is striking and of enormous importance to a child’s overall development…. [F]athers express more concern for the child’s long-term development, while mother focus on the child’s immediate well-being (which, of course, in its own way has everything to do with a child’s long-term well-being.) … [T]he disciplinary approach of fathers tends to be “firm” while that of mothers tends to be “responsive.”  While mothers provide an important flexibility and sympathy in their discipline, fathers provide ultimate predictability and consistency.  Both dimensions are critical for an efficient, balanced, and humane child-rearing regime.


David Popenoe, "Life without Father: Compelling New Evidence That Fatherhood and Marriage Are Indispensable for the Good of Children and Society," pg.145-146.  Cited by Ryan T. Anderson, “Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom,” pg.27


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