Jerry Seinfeld, on Fatherhood

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/opinion/jerry-seinfeld-on-fatherhood.html

Version 0 of 1.

To the Editor:

Re “Why Fathers Leave Their Children,” by David Brooks (column, June 16):

I am not an expert, but I am a father and I’ve spent some time talking to other dads in fatherhood programs through the Good+ Foundation and its Fatherhood Initiative, which I lead.

The dads I meet in these programs have the same motivations that I do as a parent. They want their kids to benefit from them; they want Mom to see the value of their input; and they want the feeling of self-worth that comes from being an engaged dad.

The causes of estrangement from their kids are varied and complicated. But the underlying current to all of their stories is chronic, generational poverty. Values and a sense of responsibility, while important, are not the panacea.

A recent example illustrates the point. Good+ provided steel-toed boots to a New York City dad who got job training and a construction job through the Strive program but who couldn’t afford the boots he needed to do the work. Buying boots for a grown man might seem an improbable path to helping a kid, but it’s the boots that allow him to make a wage and be connected to his kids by providing clothes and diapers.

As with any illness, it’s always better to treat the cause, and not just the symptoms.

JERRY SEINFELD, NEW YORK

The writer is the comedian.