Rather than complaining about getting fathers involved, pediatricians are now pushing for constructive ways to get dads involved in the health and welfare of their children, according to this piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The story is hung on a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics that is well worth reading.

Here's the crux: pediatricians should make it as easy as possible to get fathers into the office, and, once there, the pediatricians should do their best to make sure a father is willing and able to play a key role in his child's life. And it notes the good news that there are more and more dads already involved.

Here are some of the suggestions offered in the report:

1. Remind the family that fathers are not only workers or breadwinners and mothers or partners are not only nurturers or primary providers of child care. They share these roles, complementing one another, often to the benefit of the child.
2. As early as in the delivery room or nursery and if culturally appropriate, fathers can be given responsibilities for caring for and making decisions regarding the child.
3. Encourage fathers to assume some roles in the care of the child, and encourage the mother to let the father be involved and learn from his own mistakes. Early time alone with the child helps a father gain confidence and develop his own style of interaction and provides a mother or other parent with much-needed time alone.
4. Determine how comfortable the father is with his parenting skills and whether he has concerns.
5. Explore with the father ways to decrease maternal stress. This might include his helping with meals or household chores, the involvement of other family members with household tasks, or the hiring of household help.
6. Identify institutions and policies that facilitate fathers’ involvement and work-family balance. Encourage child care centers, support groups, and schools to involve and include fathers. Promote the use of policies such as the Family Medical Leave Act (codified at 29 CFR 825 [1993]) and flexible work schedules as ways to balance employment and family responsibilities.

For what it's worth, I'd like to throw the full support of Rebel Dad behind these steps. I can't think of a better agenda. We need every ally we can get in the battle to make fathercare as natural and accepted as mothercare, and the AAP is one heck of an ally.