My friend Clancy, one of the few father-philosophers I know, and one of Nietzsche’s best translators—says that parenting is like breaking rocks, only more grinding. Historically, men have opted out of this drudgery, excusing themselves by pretending that “making a living” was somehow as difficult as raising the kids. Of course, this is a grand farce, a convenient cultural myth that effectively keeps women in the home. As patriarchy declines in the coming century, more men will come to feel the painful truth of parenting—that it is frequently beyond difficult.
