I wasveryinterestedinitandfeltthatwomenreallyneededtobeabletobeequallyrespectedandentertheworkplaceandhaveoptionsopen.
And I wasupsetthatwomenwerenotplayingsportstothedegreethat I feltthatwascreatingthebenefitstothemofsports.
Andso I startedarticulatingthisandstartedtalkingtomydoctoraldissertationadvisersaboutdoingthisintheirfirstreactionwasorinthewoman's movementisjust a fad.
And I said, I don't thinkso.
I thinkthisisthebeginningofthechangeofofgenderrolesfrombothmenandforwomen, andso I we'lltalkwithhimaboutthateventuallyconvincedthemthat I couldchangemydissertation, andthatledmetobeingah, seenbyandnowassomeonewhowas a manwhowasreceptiveat a timethatthefeministmovementwasgetting a lotofaccusationsofbeingmanhaters.
Andso I think I served.
Thepurposeofhereiswhohereis a manofheelsbyfleshmanwhoadvocates.
Butwe'readvocatinghere.
Getupandsaywhatwe'resaying.
It's gonnabehardertocallyou a manhater.
Andsothe I starteddoingthatandthenendedupspeakingallaroundtheworldonwomen's issuesandthevalueofofwomenbeingsecureenoughandcompetentenoughto I'llbeabletosharethebreadwinningburdensthatmenhandleonDDE.
Thatwasmyfocusforuntilthemidseventies.
Inthemidseventies, I begantoseethatthefeministmovementhadmade a greatdealofprogressandwas, everyonewassortofgettingonboardwhowasinatleastinthesortofmiddleclass, aboveandeducated.
Andsothatwas.
Butitwasalso a hugenumberofdivorcesoccurring.
Andso I begantosayit's importantfortheChildrentohavebothparentsafterdivorceandBettyforDadandGloriaSteinemand a womannamedKarentoCrowagreedwithme.
Butoh, nowtheboardand I wasontheboardofnowatthattimehadgottenelectedas a resultofmyadvocacytotheboardofnow.
Andmyfellow, um, andfemalecoworkersontheboardofnowsaidwewerein a dilemmahere.
Also, I startedforminghundredsofmen's groups, oneofwhich, I think, youknow, itwasjoinedbyJohnLennon, andthatwasthathad a bigimpactonboththepeopleinthegroupsthat I begantoseewhatmen's painwaas.
Andso I begantoarticulatemen's paininaswellaswomen's paininmymypresentationsandwhen I wasOnleyarticulatingwomen's painandwomen's challenges, I would, ohablealmostalwaysgetstandingovationsandmaybe a knaveridgeofthreeinvitationsfor a newspeakingengagement, andthatwashelpingmelivefinanciallyverywell.
Butthenwhen I startedtointegratetheperspectivesandfeelingsofmenfromthemen's groups, therewas a lotof I N C listinnovations.
Whynot?
Whynot?
What's rightisfornewspeakingengagementswentfrom 3 to 2 tooneandtheneventuallytozero.
Andunlessyouviewthebattleofunlessyouviewrealityas a battlegroundbetweenthesexesandandas a zerosumgame, wecan't haveanintelligentconversationaboutwhat's goodforwomenorwhat's goodformen.
Wehavetohave a conversationaboutwhat's goodformenandmenandwomenandwomenandmenandwomen.
Inrelationshiptonowispushforforfor a particularkindoffamilystructureon a particularviewofwomen's rights?
Yes, I thinkwhathappenedformewas I Justwhen I startedfocusingonwhatwasbestforChildrenandthen I beganto, weonlyhaveminimalamountofresearchupforthatatthatpointintime.
Thisisyourearlyseventies, andbutwehadenoughtoformetomake a casetotheboard.
Andwhen I sawtheresistance, thedegreetowhich, um, there's there's twothingshappening.
OneisweWedon't wanttoloseourpowerbase.
Wedon't everwanttohave a womansaywhateveroptionsshewantsshouldbeclosedtoher.
Andso I begantoseethatthewoman's movementwascarryingmoreaboutwomenthantheywerecaringabouttheChildren.
Thatwasthefirstdisillusionmentthat I had.
Okay, soyourfirstyourfirstethicalpointinsomesenseisthatwhenyou'respeakingaboutfamiliesandyouhavetobalancetherightsandresponsibilitiesofmen, womenandChildren, thatitmakessensetoyoutoputChildren's wellbeingfirstandforemost, andthendotooplacemenandwomenasindividualssay, ERM, it, perhapsevenas a coupleblowthatoutYes, exactlywhat I wassayingwasthatfreedomofchoiceiswonderful.
Butwhenyoumakethefreedomofchoicetohave a child, youthenstartprioritizingtheneedsofthechildyoumade.
Youmadethefreechoicetohave a childthatincorporatestheneedtoputthechild's perspectivesbeforeyoursaspartofyourfreechoice, right?
Soit's basicallythefreedomthereisthefreedomtotakeon a certainkindofrelativelypermanentresponsibilityandthentoabidebythatcomehellorhighwateressentiallyintothefuturethattheChildrenshouldnotrespect.
Theparentsneedbecausepartofwhat I talkaboutintheboycrisisisthatnobodyhappythateverybodyhastobehappyin a family, andthatandthatpartofchoosing a childtoberesponsibleistochoosingthechild, notjusttohaveitsneedsmet, buttoalsocareaboutwhat, whetherwhattheirmomsordadsneedsarebeingmetaswell, andthathastobeveryprimaryandprimalandintroducedearly.
ButthattheandthenSecondly, I alsofeltthatandBettyforDanfeltthisway.
Ifyouifyouchoose a manwhowantstobefullyinvolvedwiththechildhonorhimandrespecthimbecauseweknowthatthesocialbribesthatwegavementodieallowedmentobewillingtosacrificetheirlivesinexchangeforbeingcalledhero.
Well, ifweifwereadframebeing a fatherasbeing a differenttypeofheromenwillfollowbecausemenbasicallygowhereverthepraisegoes.
Okay, Okay, sointhe 70.
SoyoustartedtoputforwardthecaseforChildrenandtosomedegreeaswellsimultaneouslythecaseforfathersandyoureceived a fairbitofresistanceas a consequenceofthat.
Andsothereforewemustbetheoppressorlikethose, likethebourgeoisieofMarxismandwomenmustbethe A press.
Soyouhavetwothingshappeningsimultaneously.
ThisbeliefthattheoppressorsarewantingtobeequallyinvolvedwiththeChildrenandthensecondly, menhavingnoideawhytheyhavevaluethirdmenwhotheveryfewmenthatdidstudythevalueofbeing a fatherandhowimportantitwastoChildren.
I wouldn't arguethat, butyoucouldargueitthatyouknowpeoplehave a varietyofwaysofsolvingtheproblemofhavingChildrenandthatthere's a varietyofviablesolutionstothatproblemandthatnoonefamilyorganizationaltypeshouldbeprivilegedabovetheothers.
I mean, I supposewiththeexceptionofmultipartnermarriages, whichwestilldon't approveoff, let's saytheproblemwithout, asfaras I cantell, isthatitdoesappearfromtheresearchthatthenuclearfamilyisthesmile, smallestviableunit.
Thenyouproduce a rankorderofaccordancewiththatandthepeoplewhoaren't inaccordancewiththatvalue.
Youcaneasilymake a casethatthey'rebeingdiscriminatedagainst.
Andwe'rein a situationinoursocietynowwhereevenifthediscriminationoccurs, let's saybecauseofthepursuitofanadmirablevalue, it's regardedasprejudicial.
And I thinkthat's fedbythatunderlyinghypothesisthatwasantinuclearfamily, thatanysortofhierarchicalstructureispartofthetyrannicalpatriarchy.
It's somethinglikethatthat's runningunderneathit.
Soanyways, let's reviewifyouwouldbeveryhelpful.
I thinkforeveryonesomeofthemanywaysthatit's necessaryforChildrentohavefathers, whythat's better.
Andperhapsalsofirst, forsocietyaswell.
NotjustforChildren, absolutely.
Childrenthathave a lotaboutitequalaremorethanequal.
Fatherinvolvementhave a numberofthingsincommon, is a ruleandobviouslythesereversalsofthisandthateveryone, isthisthisthispattern.
Butthefirstisthey'refarmorelikelytohavepostowngratificationandelaborateonthat a littlebitmore.
Postponegratificationisprobablythesinglemostimportantqualitytobecomingsuccessfulandbecomingsuccessful, especiallybeingemployedandin a jobthathassomemeaningforyou, isoneofthemostimportantingredientsandhappinesson a senseofpurposeand a senseofmotivationand a senseofwillingnesstogetupinthemorning.
Andso, in a littlewhile, I'llbehappytojusttracebackhowthatwasborn.
GratificationhappensmorewhenyouhaveAh, father.
Yeah, because I'm reallyinterestedinhearingaboutthat 2nd 2ndlayerthisform.
Anothersurprisingoneformedoingtheresearchwasfindingthatboysandgirlswhoareraisedwithaboutanequalamountoffatherinvolvementarefarmorelikelytobeempatheticbecause I alwayssortofempathycomingpredominantlyfromMom's and I'llbehappytoexplainin a bitwhyitdoescomemorefromMom's.
Butwhytheoutcomeforthechildisnotmoreempathy.
Theoutcomeforthechildislesson, buttheysayit's a littlebitmoreonthatlater.
Yeah, farmorelikelybothboysandgirlstodropoutofschoolifthereisn't farfatherinvolvementfarmorelikelywhen, whenwhen a relationshipbreaksupofchildthathasnothadsignificantfatherinvolvementismuchmorelikelytobedepressedandbewithdrawnandbefeelalienated, farmorelikelytobeaddictedtovideogamesfarmorelikelytobeaddictedtovideoporn.
Farlessmorelikelytohave a fewsocialskills, fewemotionalskillstodoworseineveryacademicarea, butespeciallyinreadingandwriting, whicharethetwobiggestpredictorsofsuccessfarmorelikelytohave a lowerspermcounthave.
Andhere's anamazingthing I justdiscoveredtowardtheendoftheresearchfortheboycrisis I I sawinPediatricsmagazineandthatChildrenwhobytheageofninedon't have a significantamountoffatherinvolvementbothgirlsandboyswerelikelytohaveshortertelomeres.
I askedmyself, Well, maybethisisbecauseboyswithfatherinvolvementjusthavebetter, youknow, betterneighborhoods.
Thefathersearnedmorethefamily's heirloom.
Ormaybeit's a matterofpoverty.
Verses.
NotSo.
I startedlookingatpeopleboysandgirlsgrowingupandgoodquotegoodneighborhoodswithquotegoodschoolsandcomparingthemwithboysandgirlsgrowingupinpoorneighborhoodsandpoorschools, andfoundthatthethatboysandgirlsgrowingupingoodneighborhoodswithpoorschoolsthatdidnothavesignificantfatherinvolvementdidaboutthesameasboysandgirlsgrowingupinpoorneighborhoodswithpoorschoolsthatdidhavefatherinvolvement.
Thatfatherinvolvementwasreally a czgood, a predictorofsuccess, a CZ, thequalityoftheschoolsystem, thequalityoftheneighborhoodandthesocioeconomicclass.
100 psychologistsandresearchissaying, Youknow, thisisnot a correlation.
TheinvolvementofFatherThisisnot a matterofsocioeconomicissues.
Thisis a matterofactualfathers.
Father's father's involvement, especiallythebiologicalfather's involvement, actuallymakes a significantdifference.
Wehavebeenwrongabouttheassumptionthatthiswasprobablyjust a correlation.
Andsothemore I looked, themore I foundjusteverynightmareof a parenttobesoincreasedwhentherewasnot a significantamountoffatherinvolvementand I wasseeing I wasdatingbetweenbefore I marriedLiz, thewomanyoujustmetjustbeforewegotonbeforewegotmarried, 14 yearsago, I wasdating a numberofwomen.
ButButwhentheBut I startedlisteningtothebuttsofthewomenandthenlisteningtomenwhohadwantedtobemoreinvolvedwiththeirChildrenandlisteningtowhatthedifferenceswerebetween, what?
Andif I hopetheboycrisisdoesanythingisjustsortofexplained, youknow, herearethe 10 majorthingsthatdadsdothatthatsortofannoywomenormakewomenfeelthatthey'renotprotectingtheirChildrenadequately, which, whentheyunderstandthepurposeofthesethingsandwhendadsgettheirhomeworkdoneenoughtoarticulatetothemoms, thepurposeofthesethingsthatwillrealizethatthethesairnecessaryingredientsin a child's life.
Okay, sothat's a goodThat's a goodplacetogonext.
SoyoulaidoutAh, wholeslewofreasons, a slewofconsequencesoffatherlessnessandwillreturnbacktothecausalrelationshipbetweenwhatmendoandthesebeneficialoutcomes.
Butifyoucouldgoonnowtotelluswhatitisthatmenaredoingat a microlevel, thenwecouldreturntothecausallinkbetweenthatandthepositiveoutcomes.
Monitorthehusbandwiththekids, andshe's feelinginthebackofhermindlike, I knowthatsoonerorlaterthere's gonnabe a There's gonnabeanaccidenthere, and I'm gonnabeupsetwithmyselffornotbeingstricter.
Butontheotherhand, thekidsseemtobehavingfun, so I shouldletthingsgoWell, youknow, there's a There's a cyclebiologistnamedYakPancks F whoisoneoftheworld's greatbiologicalpsychologists, andhestudiedroughandtumbleplayininanimals.
Sorats, forexample, ah, hugepartofthesocializationprocessthat's keytothedevelopmentoftheprefrontalcortexandjuvenilemaleroutesinparticularemergesandmaturesas a consequenceofroughandtumbleplay.
Soyougetanemergentmorality, anemergent, playcenteredmorality, evenamongrats, as a consequenceofroughandtumbleplayandthatroughandtumble I did a fairbitofresearchonroughandtumbleplayaboutOh, it's probably 20 yearsagonow, 15 yearsago, anyways.
Yes, andifyoudothesethingswell, stoptheroughhousingesothereSothereisn't reallyimportantissuethere, sotwothingsthey'resoimaginethatimaginethat a roughandtumbleboatislike a dance, okay, andthepointofthedancessothatbothpeoplearehaving a goodtime.
Soandyoucanseekidslike I usedtoworkindaycarecenterswhen I was a kidwhen I was 18 19thandthekidswouldlineuptoroughandtumbleplaywithmebecausethatwasstillallowablethenandtheyweresodesperateforit.
Itwasjustridiculous, and I couldreallytellthedifferencebetweenthekidswhohadengagedinthatsortofplay, andtheonesthathadn't andtheonesthathadn't werepainfullyawkwardandtheywouldhurtthemselvesandyou.
AllofthathassortofWeskippedoveraninherentsenseofFatherknowsbesttoFatherknowsless, um, andandandandandsotheTheprocessthat I'llbesharingin a momentofwhatroughhousingleadstoandtheslipperyslopethathappenswhenitdoesn't happeniswhathasnotevenbeennurturedas a possibilitytobearticulatedinthiscultureatthistime.
I alsothink, too, youknowthatifyouhaveah, a partnerwhohasn't beenplayedwiththenthatpartnercan't tellthedifferencebetweenboisterousrambunctiousnessandaggression.
Andifthere's a hypothesisaboutdominationandthepatriarchyrunningitscourseunderneaththat, thenthere's gonnabeconceptualconfusionaboutthephysicalinteractionsthathavetheappearanceofsubmissionanddominancebecausethat's partoftheroughhousingplayroutinethatthatisgoingtobeviewedthrough a lensoftyrannicalinteractionratherthanjustgoodfun.
I mean, youcantellthedifference, becauseifthekidswereroughandtumbleplaying, they'reunbelievablyenthusiasticaboutitandengagedandlaughingandgigglingandlike, they'llplayrighttothepointofexhaustionbecausetheyneedit.
Theyneeditsomuch.
Butthat's a hardthingtoobservefromtheoutside.
Ifyou'renotaccustomedtothat.
Andifyoudon't havethatframeworkofofmenhavingandDad's having a valuetobeginwith, absolutelynot.
Sohere's Here's maybewhatmightbringbehelpfulfor a momtounderstandthattheroughandtumblepryitplayitplay, wenowknow, helpsChildrendistinguishbetweenbeingassertiveandaggressive.
But a numberofotherthingsoffalsohappenduringthatplay, whichisthatis a bondthatiscreatedbetweenthefatherandthechildandinalmosteveryenduringexpertwitnessworkstohelpChildrenhavebothparentshavetodivorce.
Andinalmosteverycase, everycase, actually, which I believethat I haveseenthisisthisbondisusedbythefathertosaythingslike, Okay, um, we'renumberofhousingnow.
Hefoundthatthelittleroutestheratswillworktoenter a playarenabecausebecauseplayyouthinkplayisahsoexceptestablishedvery, veryclearlythatthereis a primaryplacecircuitinmammals.
It's a separatecyclebiologicalcircuit.
It's notexploration.
It's a wholedifferentmotivationaldrive, butthattheactbutactivityinthatcircuitisintrinsicallypleasurable, andpartofthatappearstobebecauseit's sokeytopropersocialization, thatit's regardedbymyChildrenandbysocialmammalsasintrinsicallyvaluable.
Andsoitmakesperfectsensethatthatcouldbeusedas a sourceofprimaryreward.
And I thinkyourcommentsaboutthethemanandthekidsbindingthemselvestogetherthroughplayisalsoreallyimportantisoneofthethingsthat I dowithyoungman, whoyouknow, I thinkyoungmentendtobesomewhatalienatedfrominfantswhoareunderaboutninemonthsoldbecausethey'renotreallyequippedtoknowwhatthehelltodowiththem.
I mean, theycanlearn, andtheycouldbegoodatit, butit's nottheirdomainofnaturalexpertise.
Butonce a kidhitsaboutninemonthsandstartstobeabletoimitateand £2 toandtoplay, andtorespondtogentleteasinglikethat's a perfecttimefortheirfathertoswoopinisveryhelpfulfor a mother, bytheway, whowantstohaveanotherchildandtostartreallycementing a relationshipthat's basedonthatinterestingcombinationofofhighenergyfundplusthedisciplinedinteractionsthatarenecessaryas a precursortothat.
Itiswellcalledaffectiveneurosciencewrittenbyyak, Exceptit's onmyreadinglistonmywebsiteand I reckon, endupbecausehelaysoutthefindingsfromtheanimalliteratureontheprimaryplacer.
It's reallyheshouldhavewon a NobelPrizefor I mean, discoveringanentirelynewmotivationalsysteminthebrainis a major, majorcontribution.
AndtoalsotheotherthingthathedidthatwassocoolanditsortofremindedmeofJeanPJ's work a littlebitistHemade a verystrongcasethatoutofplayemergesanethicandyouknowthatthat's why I wassointerestedwhenyoumentionedthatinteractionswithfatheractuallyincreasedempathybecause, youknow, ifsomeonehasempathyforyou.
Thatmeansthat I mean, thatcouldleadto a certainkindofnarcissism, right?
Andthere's theseedsofrebellionstarttooccurofsortoflike, Howmucham I gonnabemyself?
Howmucham I goingtodowhatMomdoeswho I wanttobe a mama's boyoritdoesn't evenhavereligiouslybutno, youjustsortoffeellikeyou'rebeingpusheddownbyalltherules.
Fathersspend a bunchoftimeplayingwithyourkidsandhavingasmuchfunasyoucanwiththembecause I formulatingthatbond, youcanusethatas a asthesourceofrewardthatwillbeappreciatedbythechildwithregardstodisciplinarystrategies.
Soit's it's it's a it's a twofoldvictory.
Oneisit's funandyougettolikeyourkidsandhave a goodtimewithhim.
Butthesecondisyouhave a verypositivemeansofdiscipliningtheminthebestsense, encouragingthemindiscipliningthem.
Sothat's that's a reallyusefulthingtoknow, practicallysodeepeningthetrusttothekidslikelikeyou'replayingandyou'rerightontheedgethatyouweretalkingabout.
Youcouldbean N B and N B A player, andyoucanhaveyourdreams.
Butthepost.
Hedoesn't havethatpostponegratification, socannotdotheboringrepetitionthatcomeswithallsuccess, including a beinganOlympicstaroran N b A playeroranythingelse.