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FROM FATHER KNOWS BEST TO "NO FATHER IS BEST"
From Father Knows Best to
"No Father Is Best"
Psychologists have asserted that fathers are not essential to the healthy development of children. Do fathers do more harm than good?
by Cecil Maranville
Father Knows Best was
a television program in the 1950s. At that time the father was widely viewed as the
necessary and fixed head of every family. But times and families have changed. In
June the American Psychological Association published an article asserting that just
the opposite is true--that fathers are not an essential factor in the healthy development
of children. In fact, they claim, fathers do more harm than good.
The American Psychologist ran as its June lead article a piece titled "Deconstructing
the Essential Father" in which the authors argued that fathers are nonessential.
Psychologist Wade Horn, in his Washington Times column of July 6, 1999, takes
issue with the APA's reasoning and conclusion. "The authors begin their first
argument by stating that their 'research experience has led us to conceptualize fathering
in the way that is very different from the neoconservative (read: anyone who thinks
fathers matter--Dr. Horn's comment) perspective.'
"While acknowledging that 'the presence of a father may have positive effects
on the well-being of boys,' two paragraphs later the authors come to the conclusion
that 'the empirical literature does not support the idea that fathers make a unique
and essential contribution to child development.' "
The premise of the APA article appears to be that many of today's fathers do such
a poor job of raising their children that their children would be better off if they
were absent from their children's lives.
"The authors warned, for example, of 'the potential costs of father presence,'
and especially their propensity to fritter away family resources on 'gambling,
purchasing alcohol, cigarettes, or other nonessential commodities' thereby 'actually
increasing women's workload and stress level.' "
Should family be redefined?
What is so wrong with the normal home of the Father Knows Best
era? The parents of today's parents were born and raised in that environment. Why
haven't the values of yesterday passed along to today's parents? Should normal
be redefined to suit our era? Or should today's world seek to redefine itself?
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