items of interest

with contributions from Marcia Blake, Gregg Easterbrook, David Brooks

"The Most Dramatic Shift in American living conditions in the past decade was a 62 percent rise in households headed by single fathers. They now number 2.2 million, or 2.1 percent of all households. That compares to 7.2 percent for single mothers.

"Child-rearing is tough enough without a partner, but for many single dads, the demand to be as nurturing as a traditional mother can be quite a challenge. And asking for help when parenting gets tough (like asking for directions when they're lost) may not be so easy either.

"But as ... more divorce judges award custody to fathers, men are discovering they can avoid stereotypes about behavior-by-genes be and be just as good at parenting as many women.

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