father's influence

I know of many families that consist of the mother and the kid or kids. They grew up quite well. of course, it is ideal to have a father's influence but it does not really follow that the mother-child relationship can be fully understood. I think it really depends on how the mother brings up the child even without the father. I believe that if the child is surrounded with other people who love him/her, she/ he will be able to survive and grow up without any hangup in life.

I don't agree! I was very close to my father (he passed a little over a year ago). I'm still not close to my mother, but we do talk on a constant basis. I'm a daddy's girl and will always be! My daddy taught me everything I know about life and how to survive. I miss him terribly. ttyl