Father’s Day is celebrated this Sunday in the United States but there are a great many families where dad is alienated from mum and/or their children. So the Ruth Institute has come up with a reconciliation proposal for these families, suggesting that “now would be a good time to pick up the phone, or write a short note, opening the door for further communication.”

“America has been in the grip of a gender ideology that says that no matter what the question, the answer is, blame the man,” says Ruth Institute director Jennifer Roback Morse. “In spite of the media attention to ‘deadbeat dads’, many fathers make their child support payments and want to spend more time with their children. Many Americans do not realize how often mothers prevent their children from seeing their fathers.”

While acknowledging that some dads are a real problem, and in some cases prevent children from seeing their mother, Dr Morse says Father’s Day is a good opportunity to seek healing of the father-child bond. The campaign addresses itself not only to fathers and children, however, but to mothers and in-laws who might have played a role in keeping them apart. The campaign web page has short “starter” letters for children or parents to approach the estranged family member. There’s also a reader-generated list of best "dad movies", starting with… Oh well, go have a look.