A mother nurturing fatherhood

Many thanks for the interesting series ``Fathers in the 90s,'' Oct. 7, 12, and 14.

Most of my sons' childhood was spent with me, their mother. I was their primary parent and provider (out of necessity, rather than choice). I became acutely aware that society had abandoned children, and I yearned to see qualities such as gentleness, caring, and responsibility expressed by men. As an at-home child-care provider I was available to my sons, and they, in turn, had the opportunity to learn to nurture. It is true that ``any of those other things [career, money, toys, gifts] are irrelevant compared with the time children spend with their fathers,'' or, I might add, their mothers.

It is gratifying to see that men wish to develop their full potential and to see fatherhood and marriage strengthened. Robin Pryor, Piedmont, Calif.

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