English Case Study

A Father’s Journey A “family” is mom, dad, sister, brother, right? We are taught to believe that this is the family structure, and this is “normal”. The majority of American’s strive to have the white picket fence, two children and Fido. What about when mom is no longer in the picture? Todd, like so many other fathers today, is faced with the stereotype that they cannot parent on their own as well as a woman. When I say “single dad” the most of us conjure up images of a klutz in an apron, spooning scorched macaroni-and-cheese into a bowl for a poorly-dressed tot with a bad haircut while the school bus beeps at the curb.
Although fathers constitute a minority of one parent families, over half a million men are rearing their children alone. There has been a steady increase of single fathers in the last decade; many believe this is due to marital instability. Unlike the past, when mothers were automatically granted custody, there is now genuine concern as to who is the better parent suited to care for the children. In Todd’s case, his then wife decided she no longer wished to play the mother and wife role, but lusted after the life of a single, carefree, woman in her twenties. She chose a path of drugs, alcohol, and sex, leaving behind her former life and her children. History shows us that the father usually assumed the role of a single parent only when there was maternal mortality, today father’s like Todd, are doing it open- heartedly, and putting their lives on the back burners for the physical and emotional needs of their children. Consequently, when a father attempts to raise his children alone, he must do so without clear guidelines, roadmaps or role clarity. There are no “Daddy and Me” classes no “What to Expect When You Suddenly Take Over Daddy & Mommy” books.
When in a “normal” family, it is expected that the mother is to perform expressive functions and take on the emotional role, while the father is expected to perform the instrumental