It is commonly held that during the early days of a child’s development, the father’s a role is overshadowed by the mother’s, whose interaction with her new baby is invested with a more essential character. Another commonly held idea is that, for the child, the mother represents nature, the body and the emotions, while the father represents culture, language and the outside world. It is also commonly held that the father upholds the mother’s decisions and that he represents rules and authority in the eyes of the child. But are all these ideas true?

Based on numerous scientific studies and concrete examples, Jean Lecamus gives negative answers each time: the father’s role is just as important as the mother’s for the child’s personal growth and development; the physical and emotional role played by the father in the early days of a child’s development can be as important as the mother’s; the father should not remain in the mother’s shadow since he too has a specific role to play.

This book should help fathers to experience parenting more fully, while helping mothers in their relations with their child and their partner.

Jean Lecamus is a psychologist and a specialist in questions of child development. He teaches at the University of Toulouse-le-Mirail, France.