Many parenting books are good, but fall short in tackling one important aspect: co-parenting. Co-Parenting is a crucial skill because certain families develop a hierarchy with one parent (who is often the mom) dominating the family scene and child care. Meanwhile the other (who is often the dad) accepts or assumes a second chair in the parental hierarchy. Here's a dead giveaway of second chair parenting: a parent declines a social invitation by saying, "I have to babysit the kids". I imagine that if you have heard that phrase from a parent, you heard it from a dad. Has that been your experience? We all know, of course, that parents cannot babysit their own children; but how does this mindset develop for moms and dads? Is this merely semantics or a gendered misconception?
As a second child in a family of nine, I remember my dad working hard all day and coming home to relax. A great dad who attended the school conferences, games, plays and coached us; but he will 'fess up that he never cooked, cleaned, or changed a single diaper of the thousands we used. Meanwhile, my mom worked equally hard all day like my dad, and then continued to work until bedtime. She was the traditional homemaker of the day. I always thought there was something wrong with that picture and did not duplicate it in my own marriage and family with three kids. Back then, dads were traditionally marginalized to second chair parenting and a primary role as breadwinner. Fast forward to the present and the research on the role and impact of fathers in child development.
The best parenting practices are incomplete unless they include healthy co-parenting. This is the focus of the Pruett's new book, Partnership Parenting — How Men and Women Parent Differently — Why It Helps Your Kids and Can Strengthen Your Marriage. The authors are experienced in parenting both from personal and professional perspectives.
This book is a good read, but not particularly easy because of the research discussed and lengthy examples in each chapter. For the curious reader, the research and examples will be welcome background to support the recommendations the authors propose; however, the research and examples may be TMI for the more casual reader. Overall, the authors do an excellent job of holding mothers and fathers equally accountable for parenting, identifying gendered differences, and presenting tools for creating a parenting partnership, which works in excellent fashion to serves the needs of the child(ren).
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