Father, The Family Protector

"I have good news for you: Practically anyone can be a good father. Any normal man with a measure of common sense and a capacity for sacrifice can raise his children right. I know this because I've seen it done again and again."In this marvelous book, James B. Stenson explores how fathers exercise their powerful and particularly masculine contribution to family life. His research comes from more than twenty years of working with families from two highly successful independent secondary schools for boys that he helped establish. The Heights School in Washington, DC, and Northridge Preparatory School in Chicago. As headmaster, he made it his business to know hundreds of families intimately--studying their family lives, watching their children grow in maturity, very often successfully, but sometimes not. Through countless conversations with fathers and mothers, he tried to account for the differences, looking for patterns of family life among those parents who triumphed with their children. What did these successful men and women have in common? What did they manage to do right? Most importantly: What could other parents learn from their experience?This wisdom of fatherhood is what this book is all about. It explains the main obstacles in today's society that undercut a father's teaching role, and tells men what they could do to overcome them. Then, within this framework, James Stenson spells out how successful fathers deal with their children in the more crucial areas: family rules, discipline, schooling, sports, recreation, the media, and ongoing teamwork with his wife. In short, this book provides the guidance that will help any father to carry out a serious responsibility--that of protector of his family.