Parenting Partners: How to Encourage Dads to Participate in the Daily Lives of Their Children

Cynics might easily accuse Frank, a family therapist and a stay-at-home dad, as playing up to stressed-out moms. After all, mothers tend to be the managers of the fabled ""second shift"" (the full-time job of raising children that follows a full-time job) and probably are the most likely to browse for parenting books. At times Frank does, indeed, seem interested in providing women with a truckload of ammunition to use against their hapless men. However, blame is not his purpose, and ultimately his vision of families where fathers and mothers are on equal footing parentingwise is tremendously appealing. Frank argues that children benefit when their dads are part of their lives--and vice versa (children gain greater self-esteem and grow emotionally, while fathers gain more confidence as parents). In fact, everyone benefits, claims Frank, when men and women parent as partners, and he offers a road map for ""every season"" of children's development, as well as specific tips on how dads (and stepdads) can get involved every step of the way. Frank is generally evenhanded and realistic in his suggestions, recognizing that more women than men still stay at home full-time. (Oct.) FYI: This book first appeared as a 1999 Golden Books hardcover, The Involved Father.