Jérôme, 46, is divorced and father to seven-year-old Arsène. He has “tried to be both mother and father to his son” but “at times he feels that his child is ‘missing a mother'” and he doesn’t know how to resolve the problem“.
Arsène has hardly seen his mother since his parents separated. His grandmother, whilst playing some part in his life, “cannot replace his mother”. The child “is in need of a female figure” and is looking for “a partner” for his father who would, in turn, be “a mother” for him.
As far as Jérôme is concerned, this situation forces him “to draw on resources which do not necessarily come naturally to a man”: “I initially tried to compensate for the lack of a mother figure but I soon realised you cannot wear both hats—these are two entirely different roles”.
Note from Gènéthique:
In an era of medically assisted reproduction for all women, this case reminds us how the mother and father roles complement each other in bringing up a child.
Europe1 (3/10/2018)