What about the father? David Blankenhorn wrote a book, Fatherless America, to show the importance of the father. At the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars convention in 1999, he called the father “that first significant other” or “the first encounter with an intimate other,” Here he means “other than mother.” In spite of his promotion of good fathers, Mr. Blankenhorn stressed the importance of the mother-baby relationship during the first three years of life.
Dr. Herbert Ratner was a public health doctor,a convert to the Catholic faith who gave many talks to the laity on marriage and family, and a strong advocate of breastfeeding and good parenting. At a Catholic Physicians Guild of Chicago in 1997, he made the following comments on fathers:
“I will give you two words that characterize what fathers have to offer their children, and these apply to parents in general. Love and time. The father “romances” each new child by delighting in and falling in love with the newborn. In addition, the male gives moral and emotional support by appreciating the nurturing mother and is customarily the provider and the
protector of the mother and child. With the passage of time, he contributes more and more to the emotional, intellectual, and moral formation of the child.”
A father is (or ought to be) an invaluable support for his wife. His love and support can help her feel good about herself as she devotes herself to the task of good mothering and to breastfeeding. Behind most successful breastfeeding mothers is a good husband and dad who offers spiritual and emotional support to his wife and who provides for her and the children so that she can be there to raise their children. Dads can enjoy their little ones through many activities. They can hold, play, walk, dance, bathe, dress, read, sing, whistle, teach, and pray when spending time with their baby. Dads can form close relationships with their children by spending time with them. Any child today is especially lucky when he has a mom and dad who love him dearly and express that love in simple ways.
Beginning July 22 through August 7th, the following printed books will be available at 30% discount at www.lulu.com:
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor
Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing, the 1974 Harper & Row classic edition
Natural Family Planning: The Complete Approach (coil version)
Battle-Scarred: Justice Can Be Elusive
This sale is being offered from the start of NFP Week and goes through World Breastfeeding Week.
Sheila Kippley
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding
The Crucial First Three Years