My dad, my hero: we just need more.

(From Guardian Unlimited)

My dad is my role model. But I'm lucky -- 35% of people recently surveyed for the Fatherhood Institute said their father had little or no positive influence on their upbringing. A sad statistic to read on Father's Day, when every year I reflect on the profound effect my dad had on me as an adult. It has convinced me that if we can enable more dads to play an active role at home, the next generation will be encouraged to perceive caring and nurturing as an equal -- rather than a gendered -- responsibility.

When my parents divorced, my sister and I chose to live with Dad. He'd already been the nightly bedtime story reader, the regular cook and the silly play monster. All this and in full-time work; we knew he was up to the job.

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