disparagement may cause dads to feel demoralized about their parental role,” Clark explained.
In fact, more than one-quarter of dads surveyed said these negative judgments undermined their parental confidence, while 20% said that it discouraged them from getting more engaged with parenting. Roughly four in 10 said they thought many criticisms from partners or outsiders were largely unfair.
Clark’s advice: “Family members — especially the other parent — should be willing to acknowledge that different parenting styles are not necessarily incorrect or harmful.”
Fathers tended to rate themselves rather highly, with nine in every 10 saying that they thought dads typically did a good job at parenting. But about one in every 10 also felt that outsiders — teachers, doctors, nurses — automatically assumed dads weren’t knowledgeable about their child’s needs or behaviors.
“Some fathers say they feel that professionals who interact with their
