About Fathers

Perspectives on fathers and their children

By Paul Raeburn

Things lost when families dissolve

By Paul Raeburn on June 9, 2009 - 11:48am in About Fathers

When Rudy Mancuso's family dissolved, he lost not only his familiar family life, but the crowning achievement of his professional career: the negative for what is probably the most famous photograph in baseball. Read More

More bad news for the children of older fathers

By Paul Raeburn on March 12, 2009 - 10:52am in About Fathers

A study of the children of older fathers has found subtle impairments of intelligence and other mental abilities during infancy and childhood.This is only the latest in a series of problems identified in the children of older fathers, an area of study that has been widely overlooked.

Gestures tied to vocabulary gap between rich kids and poor

By Paul Raeburn on February 13, 2009 - 1:15am in About Fathers

Children who make broader use of gestures to communicate at 14 months of age have larger vocabularies when they are 4-1/2 years old and ready to start school, according to a study released today in the journal Science.

The finding might help explain why rich kids have larger vocabularies than poor children.

Missing in the octuplets debate: Their father

By Paul Raeburn on February 10, 2009 - 2:29pm in About Fathers

The Suleman octuplets are the product of Nadya Suleman and a sperm donor. They don't have a father.

It's tempting to put it that way, isn't it? But of course they have a father. Will it trouble them that they might never know him? Read More

Older Fathers: Increased risk of having children with autism, schizophrenia

By Paul Raeburn on January 28, 2009 - 1:52pm in About Fathers

Just after my two-year-old son, Henry, was born, I was surprised and disturbed to learn that he was at increased risk of autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other ills--because of my age. Read More

Child support: Iraq vet must pay for child of another man

By Paul Raeburn on January 26, 2009 - 9:57am in About Fathers

A 19-year Army veteran, now on his third tour in Iraq, will have his Army pay garnished and his tax refund seized to pay child support for a boy who isn't his.

Genetic tests prove the child is not the son of Master Sgt. Christopher Sprowson.

Child Support: How much is too much?

By Paul Raeburn on January 22, 2009 - 8:55am in About Fathers

On Jan. 1, Massachusetts adopted new child-support guidelines that will likely raise the amount paid by non-custodial parents, usually fathers. Read More

Unemployment--and Crimes Committed Against Our Children

By Paul Raeburn on January 15, 2009 - 9:29am in About Fathers

Last week, the Labor Department reported that 11.1 million Americans are unemployed, 50 percent more than a year ago.

You might not expect this government statistic to be reported by Psychology Today, but it's vitally important to fathers, mothers, and to our children's futures.

Affordable health care--harder than it looks

By Paul Raeburn on January 12, 2009 - 8:53am in About Fathers

We're eight days from the beginning of the Obama administration and the promise of affordable health insurance for everyone. But a new report from the nonprofit consumer group Families USA highlights how difficult it will be to keep that promise. Read More

Divorce Calculator: Determine your risk in 10 seconds

By Paul Raeburn on December 8, 2008 - 10:37am in About Fathers

We like to think we are complicated creatures, and that it would take a vast amount of study and observation to determine what the divorce risk is for those of us who are married. How could someone tell me whether I'm likely to stay married without knowing all the uncomfortable details of my previous marriage, for example, or whether I'm an empathetic husband and father? Read More