n the socioeconomic outcomes as they get into adulthood." The researchers suspected a stepparent's extra income may be offset by other issues and problems that can arise, such as a greater emotional distance or uncertainty and more conflict. "Bringing a man into the home doesn't mean kids will get a high level of investment from that stepparent," Biblarz said. The analysis suggests that, "if you want your kid to maintain the same status or class you're in, having Mom around and plugged into the family is more important than Dad," said Jeffery Evans, health science administrator for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Until recently, however, much more was known about mothers than fathers and the evidence is far from clear yet about which gender parent is more important, and for what at which age, he said. "The real question is, to what extent is father involvement good?" It now appears that fathers contribute by helping kids develop street smarts and that they take on a more significant role in the later years of a child's development, he said. It is also clear that after a divorce, joint custody makes a difference in promoting father involvement--and it is as beneficial to the fathers as it is to the children. After a divorce, he said, "You'd hate to see moms cut out, and you'd hate to see dads cut out. "The net effect of these studies indicate there's a price to be paid for deleting one of the traditional pairs, and the old-fashioned notion that it's good to have a mom and a dad is still a pretty good idea." * Lynn Smith's column appears on Sundays. Readers may write to her at the Los Angeles Times, Life & Style, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 or via e-mail at lynn.smith@latimes.com. Please include a telephone number. Copyright, The Times Mirror Company; Los ...
