Young Unwed Fathers

Young Unwed Fathers
Author: Robert I. Lerman
Publisher: Temple University Press
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2009
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 9781439901267

Essays on policies, programs, and ethical issues.

Lost and Found

Lost and Found
Author: Paul Florsheim
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2020-01-13
Genre: Family services
ISBN: 0190865016

"Lost and Found is about how young men learn to be fathers and how we, as a society, can facilitate that learning and help stabilize families. Paul Florsheim and David Moore introduce a diverse group of young men whose stories represent different trajectories of young fatherhood. The stories featured in this book begin soon after these young men find out their partners are pregnant and move in different, and often unexpected, directions. Some young men--even those with significant problems--grow into parenthood and speak eloquently about connecting with their children. A few speak with disarming candor about becoming disconnected and lost. In six parts, Florsheim and Moore weave the individual stories of these young men into the larger story of fatherhood in 21st century America. While there is little doubt that America has a "fatherhood problem" characterized by high rates of father absence, Florsheim and Moore focus on understanding new family types and looking for ways to ensure their stability. They draw from the work of evolutionary biologists, social historians, developmental psychologists, and marital therapists to make sense of what goes wrong between young fathers and their families, seeking information about how some young men learn--despite the odds against them--to become "good enough" fathers. In the last section, Lost and Found builds a case for providing young men with more concrete institutional support and presents a plan for integrating expectant fathers into prenatal care, helping them become fathers, just as we currently help their partners become mothers. young fathers; adolescent parents; parenthood; co-parenting; father absence; family stability; father development; developmental psychology; prenatal care; co-parenting counselling"--

Lost and Found

Lost and Found
Author: Paul Florsheim
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2020-01-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0190865024

Over the past six decades, there have been dramatic changes in the dynamics of family life in the United States. Today, about half of all babies born to mothers under the age of 25 will not live with their fathers for much of their childhood. From the perspective of many social scientists and politicians, this change has wreaked havoc on society by trapping women and children in poverty and loosening the civilizing bond between men and their families. But what is causing the phenomenon? Some place blame at the feet of the young men themselves, together with eroding cultural and family values. Others point to systemic failures in our economy or social support programs. Rather than assign blame, the first goal of Lost and Found is to tell the stories of young men as they struggle (with varying degrees of success) to become fathers. The second goal is to outline a strategy for helping young fathers remain constructively involved with their partners and children. Drawing from their research with over 1,000 young parents in Chicago and Salt Lake City, Paul Florsheim and David Moore focus on a group of about 20 young fathers, whose stories-conveyed in their own words-help the reader make sense of what is happening to fatherhood in America. Having interviewed young fathers and their partners before and after their children were born, these accounts provide a dynamic perspective on the development of young men and their relationships. Young mothers-the partners of these young men-both corroborate and sometimes offer alternative or contradictory perspectives. Oriented to undo stereotypes, the authors introduce the notion of "good-enough" fathering, tempering the tendency to think simply in terms of good or bad fathers. They go on to provide concrete recommendations for strengthening fathers' roles and helping young fathers and mothers create stable home environments for their children, whether the parents are together or not.

Doing the Best I Can

Doing the Best I Can
Author: Kathryn Edin
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2014-08-15
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0520283929

Across the political spectrum, unwed fatherhood is denounced as one of the leading social problems of today. Doing the Best I Can is a strikingly rich, paradigm-shifting look at fatherhood among inner-city men often dismissed as “deadbeat dads.” Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson examine how couples in challenging straits come together and get pregnant so quickly—without planning. The authors chronicle the high hopes for forging lasting family bonds that pregnancy inspires, and pinpoint the fatal flaws that often lead to the relationship’s demise. They offer keen insight into a radical redefinition of family life where the father-child bond is central and parental ties are peripheral. Drawing on years of fieldwork, Doing the Best I Can shows how mammoth economic and cultural changes have transformed the meaning of fatherhood among the urban poor. Intimate interviews with more than 100 fathers make real the significant obstacles faced by low-income men at every step in the familial process: from the difficulties of romantic relationships, to decision-making dilemmas at conception, to the often celebratory moment of birth, and finally to the hardships that accompany the early years of the child's life, and beyond.

Fathering At Risk

Fathering At Risk
Author: James R. Dudley, PhD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2001-07-26
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0826116175

This book profiles three groups of nonresidential fathers--teens, older fathers, and unmarried or divorced fathers. It promotes a fuller understanding of their problems, and offers an array of strategies for involving them in their children's lives. Utilizing a strengths perspective, the authors move beyond the realm of theory to present specific intervention strategies that have helped many diverse groups of fathers and potential fathers. Throughout, case examples illustrate key program issues. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter and reflection questions throughout promote integration of key concepts. A resource section is included with contact information for various fathering programs, other relevant resources, and a website directory.