Of Moms, Gates, and Father Involvement

Sue Shellenbarger of the Wall Street Journal has a wonderful article today for her regular work and family column. She focuses on the impact of mom's approval or disapproval on the father's level of involvement in child rearing.

She gives 3 great ways to cut down on the chance of Mom acting as an exclusionary gatekeeper:

1. Skills training
2. Peer support
3. Awareness

Amen. NFI's Pop's Culture: National Survey of Dads' Attitudes on Fathering found that, when dad is need of help, he turns first to the mother of his children. Obviously her response is critical at that point. And helping moms help dads is exactly why NFI produced a "Mom as Gateway" module for our popular fathering curriculum 24/7 Dad.

Shellenbarger hits the nail on the head with this one!