fatherhood news stories on Newser

Guy Wants a Break on Child Support—for 30 Kids

Mark Russell — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:19:47 CDT

Move over, Jon and Kate. Time to retire, Duggar family. Because Desmond Hatchett has you all beat—he has 30 children, courtesy of 11 different women. And as the 33-year-old Tennessee man earns just minimum wage, he's asking the courts to give him a break on his child support payments,...

Are Today's Dads the New 'Second Sex'?

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:19:31 CDT

One father in London is feeling rather "invisible"—especially when doctors, nurses, and babysitters start talking. "Some of them have cut me off midsentence, and they often speak directly to my wife, even though I’m standing right there," writes Gary Moskowitz in the New York Times ' Motherlode blog . "No...

Babies Cut Dads' Testosterone

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:34:00 CDT

Who knew newborns could have such a significant physical impact on their dads' bodies? Scientists have discovered that fathers experience a significant reduction in their body's testosterone with the birth of a son or daughter. They believe it's Mother Nature's way of making men less interested in things like fighting...

Obama's 'Second Job': Coach on Sasha's Team

Luke Kelly-Clyne — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 11:25:37 CDT

Is there a responsibility as demanding or important as being commander-in-chief of the United States? President Obama thinks so, and it's called being a dad. On his pre-Father's Day radio address today, the president reflected on his own father's absence and discussed some of the ways he's trying to be...

Postpartum Blues Hit Dads, Too

Matt Cantor — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:52:36 CDT

New moms aren’t the only ones who may end up battling depression: Dads can face a similar problem, and those who do are more likely to spank their 1-year-olds, a study finds. Some 40% of depressed fathers reported spanking kids that age, while only 13% of dads who weren’t depressed...

Daughters Are Great, But ...

Harry Kimball — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:57:46 CST

Aaron Traister is thrilled to have a daughter—“I was just as excited about my daughter as I was about my son,” he writes. “And she's even better out of the belly.” But the nagging preference for male children in our society has him doubting his own emotions. “If she...

Obama Owns Up: Michelle Made More Sacrifices

Rob Quinn — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:23:37 CDT

The men in many families need to be "knocked across the head every once in a while" to realize how much more work their partners are putting into child-raising, President Obama says, and the Obamas are no exception. "There's no doubt that our family, like a lot of families out...

Guys, Take a Page From Chabon's Manhood for Amateurs

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:51:44 CDT

Michael Chabon throws his voice into the widening pool of “daddy diaries” with Manhood for Amateurs , which offers “poignant meditations on manhood, fatherhood, and aspects of his own childhood.” The Pulitzer Prize-winning author emerges from the essays “as a prince among men,” writes Heller McAlpin for NPR. “Not only does...

Help—I'm Jealous of My Own Kid!

Matt Cantor — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:36:08 CDT

You’re trying to give your kids the best: karate lessons, top schools, the latest video games. “You couldn't be prouder, really,” writes Christopher Noxon in Details , until “it hits you: you’re jealous.” Your childhood was never this good, and now, as your kid expands his horizons, you’re sitting on the...