To be fair I think most American kids arent even raised by their dad nowdays...
IMAGINE A VENUS AD:
A female teacher is eying the high school football team and calls in a jock for “extra tutoring”. Another teacher interrupts her saying “Not cool”. The voiceover comes on : “SOME women are already the best of women.. but some is not enough.”
Next scene is a woman threatening to abort her unborn child simply to emotionally manipulate her lover. The nurse walks in and shakes her head in disappointment.
Red:
Were they in the past?
My own rearing was mostly managed by my mother and the household staff she employed. Dad came into the picture when one of us got out line or when it was time to teach us things that weren't part of Momma's sphere of "expertise."
For instance, Dad taught us how to defend ourselves. That wasn't because Momma didn't want us to be able to; it was because Dad didn't want us sparring with Momma, and Momma didn't want to do so either. That said, Momma would spank us just as surely as Dad, which was a terrible thing to have happen because if we'd done something vile enough to move her to corporeally discipline us, Dad was going to do so too when he got home.
Dad was always present, he'd help with homework when asked, show up for things when asked, respond to us and play with us when we needed him to or when he wanted to, but he wasn't the one who taught us most of the lessons we learned from our parents. He was the one whose presence was always in the back of our minds as the man whom we didn't want to displease by misbehaving, not doing as Momma instructed.
Blue:
I'm not sure what point you're attempting to make with that remark, but whatever it be, it elided my notice. Is there ever a good reason to "emotionally manipulate" one's lover, or anyone else, for that matter? I think not.
There's no limit to the various means and modes reprobates, boors, cads, etc. may invoke to manipulate another. The problem is that one is attempting to manipulate another, not the tack one chooses to do so.
