ABSTRACT
This chapter utilizes some examples from practice to reflect on the role of fathers in the family and their relationships with their children, especially their sons. It goes without saying that the father–daughter, mother–son, and mother–daughter relationships are equally important. The chapter reflects specifically on the role of the father in the development of young boys in their adolescence. It discusses the fact that the responsibility for taking care of families with problems frequently rests on the shoulders of women. The chapter shows that great many families with absent fathers, families with boys of all ages who pose problems of authority to their mothers. The language used by care providers, with its emphasis on expressing emotions, is frequently unhelpful when dealing with teenage boys, especially if all the care providers are female. Many boys do not encounter male teachers until secondary school.
