{"id":21109,"date":"2014-06-24T10:45:55","date_gmt":"2014-06-24T15:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/?p=21109"},"modified":"2015-01-10T00:18:42","modified_gmt":"2015-01-10T05:18:42","slug":"mitch-albom-asks-when-did-fathers-become-expendable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2014\/06\/mitch-albom-asks-when-did-fathers-become-expendable\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitch Albom Asks: “When Did Fathers Become Expendable?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

You know Mitch Albom. \u00a0You probably read his best selling Tuesdays with Morrie<\/a>\"\"\u00a0or The First Phone Call from Heaven<\/a>\"\". \u00a0According to his official bio, Albom is<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026an internationally renowned and best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold more than 35 million copies worldwide; have been published in forty-nine territories and in forty-five languages around the world; and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed television movies.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And if you\u2019re in southeastern Michigan, you may hear Mitch Albom\u2019s radio show on WJR Newsradio 76, or read his column in the Detroit Free Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Mitch got my attention with a column on June 22<\/a> which asks the sad and important question, \u201cWhen did fathers become expendable?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apart from Father\u2019s Day, Albom asserts, fatherhood is declining in significance. \u00a0He writes:<\/p>\n

\u00a0I\u2019m not just talking about physical absence \u2014 a third of American kids now live without their biological fathers \u2014 I\u2019m talking about perceived importance. More and more, fathers are being viewed as less than necessary.<\/em><\/p>\n

A 2010 study concluded that children of lesbian parents fared just as well \u2014 if not better \u2014 than those from a traditional man-woman marriage. A 2013 book stated \u201cthe notion that fathering is essential to children\u2019s \u2026 development seems to be a uniquely American preoccupation.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He goes on to tell the story of an exchange on \u201cThe View\u201d\u2013not my favorite television show, so it slipped completely under my radar. \u00a0Albom recounts:<\/p>\n

A guest host, an actor named Terry Crews, had floated the idea that \u201cthere are some things only a father can give you.\u201d He was deluged by objection \u2014 both on social media and on the set.<\/em><\/p>\n

When he said, \u201cA father gives you your name,\u201d cohost Whoopi Goldberg joked, \u201cLike in \u2018The Lion King?\u2019 \u201d When he said \u201ca father gives you your security\u201d and \u201cyour confidence,\u201d cohost Jenny McCarthy, who is raising a son on her own, shot back, \u201cI\u2019m a single mother and I guarantee you, I can give (my son) all those things.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mitch worries that in our push to avoid hurting anyone\u2019s feelings, to support certain special-interest groups, we have negated the very important role which a father plays in the life of his child.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth reading. \u00a0Check out the full column here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You know Mitch Albom. \u00a0You probably read his best selling Tuesdays with Morrie\u00a0or The First Phone Call from Heaven. \u00a0According to his official bio, Albom is \u201c\u2026an internationally renowned and best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold more than 35 million copies worldwide; have been published […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,1924],"tags":[1925],"class_list":["post-21109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-families","category-fatherhood","tag-mitch-albom"],"yoast_head":"\nMitch Albom Asks: "When Did Fathers Become Expendable?"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You know Mitch Albom. \u00a0You probably read his best selling Tuesdays with Morrie\u00a0or The First Phone Call from Heaven. \u00a0According to his official bio, Albom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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