Are Fathers Essential for Children

“Are Fathers Essential for Children’s Well-Being?” Understanding how to be a father is something that just doesn’t come to you by just sitting around and sometimes taking care of your child. Like anything else, if you want to succeed at being a father it takes time and effort. A debate such as this brings to life all the feelings, thoughts, experiences, etc. that would come to mind if you were a parent. This debate between Sara McLanahan and Marcia Carlson and Peggy Drexler is one that explains why it’s necessary(McLanahan and Carlson) and why it’s not as crucial (Drexler) to have a father’s influence in the household. “Welfare Reform, Fertility, and Father Involvement” Sara S. McLanahan and Marcia J. Carlson “Raising Boys Without Men” Peggy Drexler Drexler has taken the side that the father figure isn’t as necessary or crucial in a child’s life as it’s being expressed. Drexler goes on to explain the mother as a “maverick” in terms of being able to take the role of both the mother and the father and prosper at both. Classic myths are debunked throughout the article to help people understand that life hasn’t always been the way the media or old folklore has always explained it. She explained that the families of the past deal with many of the problems families deal with today and that many of the housewives back then only seemed as if they were perky and upbeat was because they depended on their “little helper” (tranquilizers, mood enhancers, and alcohol) to help them through the rough times. Another myth she took aim at, was the fact that the male-breadwinner family is and always has been the only traditional family structure in America. She goes on to discuss that not until the 1920’s was the father the breadwinner and the mother a full-time homemaker and the kids only had to go to school. As is shown, Drexler is emphasizing the fact that all these problems don’t just occur when there isn’t a father there, they are going to occur regardless. Dr. Philip Cown...