About Fathers

Perspectives on fathers and their children.

by Paul Raeburn

Finally: A few father-friendly commercials.

Five television ads that bust father stereotypes. Read More

Men Who Sleep Near Their Children Found to Have Lower Testosterone Levels

A new link has been found between fathering and testosterone. It's intriguing, even if it can't be fully explained. Read More

Older Fathers: Now We Know More About the Risks Their Children Face

Researchers make first measurement of the risks to children from older fathers. And the results are disturbing—the number of mutations in sperm doubles every 16-1/2 years. Read More

Olympians Apparently Don't Have Fathers, According to Procter & Gamble

P&G's "Thank you, Mom" ads fall short. Read More

Aurora: Again a Tragedy, and Again, and Again

Nothing it seems, will be enough to end gun violence. Read More

Are Fathers an Endangered Species?

Census figures show that fathers are less common, in sheer numbers, than you might think. They are not an endangered species. But are we threatening their habitat? Read More

Video Games are Destroying Boys and Men? Not Again.

The guy crisis again? May we have the evidence please? Read More

Do Fathers Model Sex-Role Behaviors for Sons?

It's not father's masculinity that matters—it's his closeness to his sons. Read More

The New York Times Is Wrong: Alimony Does Not Work as It Should

The NY Times is wrong: The alimony system does not usually work the way it should. Read More

Shared Parenting After Divorce: Please Share Research and Your Personal Experience

Is shared parenting after divorce best for children? Read More

Why It's a Bad Idea to Praise Children

We all like to praise our children, and some of us worry that we praise them too much. Here's an expert who says we shouldn't praise them at all. The problem? It's a way of controlling and manipulating them. Read More

Biological Father Denied Paternity Seeks Changes in Michigan Legislature

Michigan man seeks paternity rights for his biological daughter, but an archaic law says the mother's jailed husband must be considered the father. Read More

Owl Monkeys: Among the Most Amazing Mammal Fathers

Owl monkey fathers mostly take over feeding after weaning. Read More

Does mental illness remove all responsibility for a crime?

It's easy to make a diagnosis of "mental illness" when you are not a mental health professional and you haven't examined the patient. Was Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shot by a man, or by a diagnosis? Read More

Sperm donor loses suit for joint custody of child

A sperm donor who sued for custody of the child he helped conceive sued for joint custody--and lost. The decision was good for the mother. But was it good for the child? Read More

AAP sputters, then retracts policy on female genital cutting

The American Academy of Pediatrics has evidently found that compromise, when it comes to genital cutting, can be unwise. Read More

A child, an absent father, and life in prison

Sarah Kruzan grew up with her mother in Riverside, California. Her father wasn't around. Some would argue that the absence of her father had a lot to do with the way her life unfolded. I would say it's probably more complicated than that. Read More

What does your father mean to you?

Please answer this question for an upcoming post: What does your father mean to you? Read More

Emergency out-of-network care can bankrupt families

Gary Diego was relaxing with his wife, Ellen, when she abruptly lost her hearing and seemed to be losing her grip. She spent 17 days in intensive care before catching pneumonia and dying. A few weeks later, a still-grieving Diego--who had health insurance--got a bill for $75,462.77.

Childless man released from jail after being sentenced for non-payment of child support

Frank Hatley, 50, has no children. He had paid child support for 13 years until 2000, when he learned a child belonging to a woman he had been involved with was probably not his.

Another example of the child support system gone entirely awry.

Take a look at CNN's version of the story.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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. His first wife had the boy after having an affair, and according to the Kansas City Star could not tell the court who the father was.

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

Are the new guidelines excessive and unfair, as a lawsuit charges? Or were the old guidelines too stingy? How much child support is enough? How much is too much? Read More

Unemployment--and Crimes Committed Against Our Children

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.

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

Journalist Paul Raeburn is the author of Do Fathers Matter? to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2013. He is also the author of the Fathers and Families blog.

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About About Fathers

About Fathers looks at the new science of fatherhood, the subject of my book Do Fathers Matter? The new science of fatherhood, which will be published by Simon & Schuster for Father's Day, 2013. I also discuss and comment on news related to fathers, men, boys, families, and parenting.