Nothing Right About This II

In a Post Style Section article about daddy-daughter dances at a Richmond jail, there are some disturbing comments about such an old fashioned party. No, it's no disturbing that the fathers are in prison. It's that "daddy" dances exist at all.

The event in Richmond is just one example of the alternative father-daughter dances springing up around the country amid growing concerns that traditional father-daughter dances are exclusionary. Their detractors say they are outdated, discriminatory and sexist and that they no longer reflect what American families look like. For starters, according to 2011 census data, more than half of all children in this country are raised by unmarried mothers.

“The whole idea feels very 1950s,” said Peggy Drexel, author of “Our Fathers, Ourselves: Daughters, Fathers and the Changing American Family.” “I mean, do you invite your sperm-donor dad? Today’s America has the daughters of donors, lesbians, two gay dads. . . .”

In October, school officials in Cranston, R.I., banned the dances — along with mother-son baseball games — after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint citing discrimination against single mothers, as well as gender stereotyping. “It’s ‘Ozzie and Harriet’ stuff — it shouldn’t be happening in this century,” said Steven Brown of the Rhode Island ACLU. “Not every girl wants to grow up to be Cinderella; some might actually more enjoy playing baseball. But these types of stereotyped events promote an opposite impression.”

One indication that times are changing: The Girl Scouts of America have given some of the events new names, such as “SAM” — significant adult male — dances or “Someone Special and Me” dances. There are also new events replacing the dances, such as the “Daddy-Daughter Boot Camp” for Girl Scouts on Fort Belvoir.

Yeah, some kids don't have a dad. Sometimes their fathers died in Iraq or passed away elsewhere. But sheesh, because this is so out fashioned--the concept of two married, heterosexual parents--we should ban this? Is everything about not offending some PC-version of America? I applaud the opportunity for young girls to spend times with their fathers in this piece, and I'm sorry it had to occur like this. But the entire convoluted piece should not be some commentary about the role of fatherhood. Ultimately, it should press that what children need are two parents, a mom and a dad, in one home.