Ideas

Another Side of Modern Fatherhood

We hear a lot about how men are struggling, toxic, or both. Dr. Becky begs to differ.

First published in The Atlantic on June 14, 2025

by John Hendrickson, The Atlantic
June 19, 2025 | reading time: 4 Min.

Much of what you’ve heard lately about men has probably been negative. Young guys, we’re told, are being radicalized and sucked into the manosphere; adult men are toxic, or victims of a loneliness epidemic. We may have become so used to crisis narratives about men, masculinity, and fatherhood that we’re failing to see the ways in which men are progressing. One omnipresent parenting influencer, Becky Kennedy, thinks that, when it comes to fatherhood in particular, a lot of dads are doing just fine, and that should be celebrated.

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